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There's still time to join D.C.-to-Pittsburgh bike ride

Written by Jon Schmitz on .

Work is progressing on the last gap in the Great Allegheny Passage. Linda Boxx, president of the Allegheny Trail Alliance, said precast concrete panels for the wall being built at the Keystone Metals site were to arrive this week. June, and the celebration of the completion of the final mile, will be here before we know it. Ms. Boxx said there are still openings for the “Passage to Pittsburgh” rides from Washington, D.C., to Point State Park from June 8-15 and the shorter ride from Cumberland, Md., to the Point, June 12-15. For details, pedal your browser here.

roadworkaheadOne more nagging reminder: the outbound Squirrel Hill Tunnel closes from 11 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Monday, and if you go anywhere near it, expect to spend a good bit of your beautiful spring weekend gazing at red taillights.

Sign inspections will cause lane closures on the outbound Parkway East from Churchill to Monroeville-Plum from 6 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Pavement inspection will begin Sunday night on Route 22 between the Tonidale Road-Montour Church Road-Steubenville Pike interchange and the Washington County line. This will be a slow-moving operation that will cause loan closures in either direction starting at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday nights through late April. Work ends by 6 a.m. daily.

Scott Road will be closed at the intersection of Montour Run Road in Moon, cutting off access to Casteel Drive and causing possible 15-minute stoppages on the Montour Trail from 5 p.m. today through 6 a.m. Monday and again during the same hours the following weekend. Watch for flaggers if you’re on the trail.

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Inspection of the Tarentum Bridge will cause alternating one-way traffic at times from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays starting Monday and continuing into early May.

Inspection of bridges and signs will cause occasional lane closures on the Parkway West this weekend: outbound from Green Tree to Rosslyn Farms from 7 a.m. to noon Saturday and inbound from Interstate 79 to Carnegie from 7 a.m. to noon Sunday.

The inbound Fort Pitt Tunnel will have single-lane traffic after 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, while crews wash it. Work ends by 5 a.m. daily. Coupled with the full overnight closures of the Liberty Tunnels, this could complicate late-night travels.

The Mount Washington Transit Tunnel will be closed to buses from about 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday during rail work, Port Authority announced. Light Rail Transit service will be single-tracked between South Hills Junction and the Panhandle Bridge. Outbound riders at South Hills Junction and Station Square will board from the inbound platforms. These bus routes will detour on inbound trips via Warrington and Arlington avenues and via the Wabash Tunnel and Warrington Avenue on outbound trips: 40 Mount Washington, 41 Bower Hill, 44 Knoxville, Y46 Elizabeth Flyer and Y49 Prospect Flyer.

Bridge inspection will cause lane closures on Interstate 79 in both directions north of Bridgeville (Exit 54) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday.

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Downtown growing with youth and larger households

Written by Diana Nelson Jones on .

 north-side-station
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership confirms what the most recent information in the U.S. Census shows about the city — that if we are growing at all, we are growing younger.
 
From its 2012 study on pedestrian traffic and survey of Downtown residents, the PDP reports that more than half of Downtown pedestrians rely on public transportation; 45 percent of Downtown residents are under the age of 40 and 27 percent are under the age of 30, compared to 47 and 26 percent, respectively, in 2010 and the 40-49 age group increased from 12% to 17% over 2010.
 
“This type of detailed research has been consistently useful for the real estate and development communities, [and to] marketing professionals,” said Jeremy Waldrup President and CEO of the PDP. “Additionally this research provides us with excellent insight that can be utilized in business attraction and retention initiatives, highlighting the growth and progress we have seen throughout Downtown over the last few years.”
 
The pedestrian study count took place over three days, 12 hours each at nine locations. The study was previous conducted in 2006, 2008 and 2010. The counts were extended into the evening for the first time last year, providing a baseline for future counts.
 
Other factoids from the studies:
 
Annual household income bumped, too. About 48 percent of households were earning more than $100,000 per year last year compared to 42 percent in 2010 and 34 percent in 2008.
 
Household size also increased. In 2010, 40 percent of residents lived in a household of more than one person. In 2012, that demographic had jumped to 51 percent.
 
The entire report can be read at this link. 
 
Photo by  John Altdorfer, courtesy of PDP.
 

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Author of "Year of Living Biblically" to speak at Pitt

Written by Ann Rodgers on .

A.J. Jacobs, who documented his attempt to abide by the literal words of the Hebrew scriptures in The Year of Living Biblically, will speak about that effort at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the ballroom of the William Pitt Union. The Union is at the corner of Fifth Ave. and Bigelow Blvd. in Oakland. His talk is sponsored by the Hillel Jewish University Center at the University of Pittsburgh.
During his year of living biblically he not only spent time with various kinds of Orthodox Jews, but with Christians, including the Amish and snake handlers, who work seriously at taking the words of scripture literally.
Mr. Jacobs, who grew up in a secular Jewish home, is a 21st century George Plimpton, who takes on serious assignments in a whimsical way. In Drop Dead Healthy he took the quest for a physical perfection to extremes. In My Life as An Experiment he adopted a variety of personnas to experience life as everything from a beautiful woman to a famous actor. He even imitated a corporation by temporarily outsourcing his daily activities -- from shopping to arguing with his wife -- to a team in India.
 
 
 

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Ohio moves while Pennsylvania sits still on transportation

Written by Jon Schmitz on .

snail

Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed a two-year, $7.6 billion bill for transportation and public safety on Monday, which will supply $4 billion for road and bridge work, according to The Plain Dealer of Cleveland. Mr. Kasich announced his plan to raise revenue for transportation on Dec. 13 and it took less than four months to see it become law.

One is left to wonder what they’re thinking in the Buckeye State. No blue-ribbon commission? No endless dawdling on the part of the governor and legislators? Just put together a plan and quickly get it through the legislative process? That’s not how we do business in Pennsylvania.

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vendingMaybe it’s me but I have had almost no success in getting the Port Authority’s new smartcard vending machines to issue me correct receipts. Twice the machines have given me someone else’s receipt and several times nothing at all. Otherwise, the ConnectCard system seems to be working well. Kinda strange that receipt printing — not exactly cutting-edge technology — is what’s tripping up these sophisticated machines.

 

 

 

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Pennsylvania State Police are cracking down on speeding in the Squirrel Hill Tunnels construction zone. State police have issued 131 citations and 15 written warnings and made 10 DUI arrests since Jan. 1. The speed limit through the construction zone is 45 mph. PennDOT reminds that going 11 mph over the work zone limit can bring a 15-day license suspension. Also, some fines are doubled in work zones.

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roadworkaheadIn case you forgot, nightly closures of the Liberty Tunnels begin today. The tunnels will close in both directions at 10 p.m. Sundays through Fridays, reopening daily by 6 a.m. These closures will continue through November as the next phase of tunnel rehabilitation is done.

PennDOT also has scheduled overnight maintenance in the Fort Pitt Tunnels, the primary detour for Liberty Tunnels traffic. The inbound tunnel will have single-lane traffic from 10 p.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday; the outbound tunnel will be down to one lane from 10 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday.

The ramp from the inbound lower deck of the Fort Duquesne Bridge to Fort Duquesne Boulevard will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, weather permitting, to allow work on signs. The detour is via the 10th Street Bypass ramp to right turns at 10th Street, Penn Avenue and Ninth Street. A lane also will be closed during that time on the inbound 10th Street Bypass near the Fancourt Bridge overpass as crews replace an overhead light fixture.

Lane closures are possible on Cochran Road between Beverly and Washington roads in Mt. Lebanon from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday during drilling for a future project.

Drilling and research for future improvements on Route 65 may cause lane closures between Interstate 79 in Glenfield and Chestnut Street in Sewickley from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

Overhead sign inspections will cause lane closures and traffic shifts on Route 28 and Route 366-Bull Creek Road on Friday. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the restrictions are possible on northbound Bull Creek Road near the Route 28 interchange in Fawn and on the northbound Tarentum Bridge. Restrictions are possible from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in both directions on Route 28 between Millvale and Etna.

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