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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 04, 2024 |
Olga George
olga.george@pittsburghpa.gov
412-627-0679 |
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NEW PEDESTRIAN SAFETY PROJECT TO BEGIN IN THE BLOOMFIELD/ LAWRENCEVILLE NEIGHBORHOODS
Several Streets Will Receive Safety Updates Aimed at Preventing Crashes
Pittsburgh, PA – Residents may experience some delays while traveling through the Bloomfield/Lawrenceville neighborhoods as construction will begin on the Lawrenceville Safety Suite. The project seeks to increase pedestrian safety and prevent crashes in the corridor.
The project includes a host of innovative safety improvements including intersection upgrades in the form of pedestrian crossing islands near Penn Avenue at 39th Street and Penn Avenue at Fisk Street. These islands will also restrict left turns from and onto 39th Street and Fisk Street, with the aim of reducing angle crashes which will increase pedestrian safety.
Additionally, crews will be deploying ‘chokers’ or pinch-points at several locations on Main Street between Penn Avenue and Butler Street, to slow traffic and discourage sidewalk parking. In the second phase of construction, a mid-block crosswalk will be installed on Fisk Street near the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, as well as planned improvements to the traffic signal at Penn Avenue and Main Street.
"Change may be uncomfortable, but it is necessary to do what’s right for the city," said Mayor Ed Gainey. “While some may view the Lawrenceville Safety Suite as an inconvenience, there is no doubt in my mind that it will save lives. Two lives were lost at these intersections, and it is my goal to ensure that never happens again. Zero traffic fatality is our goal within the city, and it should be the standard of safety that we all live by.”
The Lawrenceville Safety Suite was chosen for construction after the intersection appeared on the newly developed High Injury Network. It showed that eight (8) crashes were reported on Main Street from Penn Avenue to Butler Street, twenty (20) crashes were reported at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Main Street (including a fatality), ten (10) crashes were reported at the intersection of Penn Avenue and 39th Street (including one fatal crash), and sixteen (16) crashes were reported at the intersection of Penn Avenue and Fisk Street all between 2018-2022.
Roadway work has already begun and will continue throughout the week of October 7th with paint and later vertical elements.
Learn more about the Lawrenceville Safety Suite, its safety upgrades, and its crash history on the Lawrenceville Safety Suite Engage Page.
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