PennDOT Pittsburgh Parkway Project To Impact 100,000 Motorists Daily

PITTSBURGH, PA — PennDOT has announced an interchange project that permanently will impact 100,000 motorists daily.

The agency announced Wednesday its intention to completely rework the Parkway East Squirrel Hill interchange.

The goal of the project, located between the Greenfield Bridge and Squirrel Hill Tunnel, is to improve safety for the 100,000 vehicles traveling through daily and reduce crashes near the existing interchange. This project also plans to enhance multimodal connectivity and pedestrian access on the local
streets.

“After careful consideration and feedback from the public, local businesses, and local officials, the department has decided to move forward into the preliminary engineering phase with ‘Alternative F’,” said PennDOT District 11 Executive, Jason Zang.

“Public involvement has been instrumental and as we move into the design phase, we still request feedback through our website and will hold another public meeting as plans progress, so we can continue to refine the design process.”

Here is what motorists can expect:

• The relocation of the I-376 eastbound (outbound) on-ramp, providing more room to merge prior to the tunnel and the expectation of congestion mitigation on Beechwood Boulevard.
• A longer I-376 eastbound (outbound) off-ramp, starting just west of Greenfield Bridge and passing under the newly relocated eastbound on-ramp. The ramp will conclude at a traffic light on Beechwood Boulevard, eliminating the existing weave condition between the current interchange ramps.
• The I-376 westbound (inbound) on-ramp will be accessed from Forward Avenue only, where the existing on-ramp is located, at a new signalized intersection.
• The I-376 westbound (inbound) off-ramp diverge point will be further west of the tunnel portal with a new bridge constructed over the Parkway, providing trucks and larger vehicles a safer exit ramp.

These and other preliminary changes can be viewed in the rendering of “Alternative F” on the project webpage.

Additional improvements will be made on the local roads surrounding the interchange, including a separate local lane for residences on Beechwood Boulevard near Forward Avenue, the implementation of a roundabout at the Monitor Street and Beechwood Boulevard intersection,and various signal upgrades.

Bicyclists and pedestrians can expect a new shared use path along Forward Avenue, replacing the existing sidewalk. There also are plans for a new shared use path connecting Forward Avenue to Saline Street adjacent to the westbound (inbound) I-376 on-ramp.

The project will include the relocation of several bus stops to safer locations in the area.

According to PennDOT, the improvements included in the project aim to provide safer pedestrian crossings and safer access to proposed shared use paths. They likely also will result in more reliable travel times through the roadway network.

Partnered with the new geometry of the ramp configuration, traffic should slow down coming off the interstate, entering the neighborhood and create safer residential streets in the area.

As minor changes to the final design will continue throughout the preliminary engineering process, the public is encouraged to provide feedback through the project’s online comment form.Additional public meetings will be held throughout the design phase to discuss the progress of the project and gather additional feedback.

Construction on the project is anticipated to begin in 2029 and conclude in 2032.