Penn Avenue Revitalization Plan Public Meeting

The City of Pittsburgh, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Penn Avenue Corridor Phasing Plan Committee, will conduct a public meeting for the ongoing Penn Avenue Corridor Phasing Plan Study. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 11, 2008, starting at 6:00 p.m., at the Saint Lawrence O’Toole Activity Building on North Atlantic Avenue in Garfield. Sign-in for the meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m., with a short presentation at 6:30 p.m., followed by breakout group discussions.

The purpose of the meeting is to present the scope of the Penn Avenue revitalization project and to gather feedback from community members on how they use the corridor and what issues they have had with Penn Avenue. The project extends along Penn Avenue from 34th Street to Negley Avenue, approximately 2 miles in length. Its limits include 31 intersections (14 with signals) and extend from building line to building line, including the cartways, sidewalks, streetscapes, and utilities. The project limits include the City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Garfield, Friendship, and East Liberty. The scope of the study is to assess Penn Avenue infrastructure needs and develop a list of prioritized improvements for construction.

The City of Pittsburgh has selected L. Robert Kimball & Associates to formulate the Corridor Phasing Plan and advise the city in programming and advancing transportation improvements along Penn Avenue. Project elements include addressing congestion, safety, and deteriorated conditions through a number of street, traffic, and streetscaping improvements. Some of these improvements may include new traffic and pedestrian signals, new crosswalks and sidewalks, street trees and furniture, new street lighting, street paving and reconstruction, and associated engineering tasks. The plan will take into account the corridor’s needs, community priorities, and available funding, while striving for the creation of a safe and sustainable infrastructure that promotes community ownership, pride, and stewardship over the street and public spaces.

The Penn Avenue Corridor Phasing Plan Committee is an ad hoc group consisting of community representatives from the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation; Friendship Development Associates; Garfield-Jubilee Association; Friendship Preservation Group; Lawrenceville United; and Lawrenceville Corporation, as well as local and state public official representatives.

For more information, contact Aggie Brose, chair of the Penn Avenue Corridor Phasing Plan Commitee, at 412-441-6950 x 15, or her assistant, Deadra Keener, at 412-441-6950 x 17.