PennDOT officials discuss construction alternatives for Parkway East interchanges
PennDot Executive for District 11, Jason Zang said, 'It's such a challenging area. We're working in such a tight corridor as it is. When they put the parkway in back in the 50′s they just carved it right through neighborhoods.'
Jason Zang with PennDot says the approach engineers used when building 376 over 70 years ago - will not be the same for the Parkway East Squirrel Hill Interchange Improvement Project.
Zang said, 'We don't want to move or relocate people. That's the last thing we want to do.'
PennDot laid out its plans to a crowded auditorium at Greenfield Elementary where it showed renderings of four different construction alternatives.
'We're trying to think about this from every angle. Parkway safety, residential safety and then the local traffic safety,' Zang explained.
Interchanges both on and off the parkway east on the city side of the Squirrel Hill tunnel will get updated - with the work starting just west of the Greenfield Bridge Overpass.
Jacob Greenberg lives right on the border of the interchange.
Jacob Greenberg said, 'It's about once a week that I see the semis bust their tire on that curve and I would say at least twice a month that I see somebody wreck on that sharp curve or rear end or something like that.'
PennDOT plans to redesign all on and off-ramps, improve retaining walls, bridges and sidewalks.
Theresa Nightingale lives in Beechwood. She's worried she and her elderly neighbors could lose parking.
Theresa Nightingale said, 'There's no parking on top, there's no parking on the sides - I'm not sure where everybody would go. We just need to make sure there's parking and make sure that the folks can access it safely - especially our seniors.'
PennDot says it continues to collect feedback from people in the area. Work is slated to start in about 4 years.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
2 days ago
- Axios
Pennsylvania's latest banned license plate list is a riot
Pennsylvania, U-FNNY-AF. Why it matters: Call us vainglorious, but Pennsylvanians are getting more creative withnew, crass catchphrases to put on our vanity plates. The big picture: The state's most recent banned plate list has grown to more than 4,500 entries, up from roughly 2,000 in 2023. Entries reflect political machinations, historic and pop cultural events and a taste for the tawdry. And it all comes as state lawmakers are considering a proposal requiring drivers to have two license plates on their vehicles. How it works: Rules, rules, rules. The state has a whole list of them, but basically you can't include sexual innuendo, profanity, scat references (grow up, everyone) or things that'll confuse law enforcement or make you seem like you're a cop. Axios Philly went line-by-line through the list to better understand what the state deems clever or canceled. Here are some of the rejected submissions that caught our eye: POTUS47, F-ELON, EF ELON: One Pennsylvanian's political tribute is another's insult. Bonus irony points if this had ended up on a Tesla. The drawback: It's very easy to read it as "FELON." NOMAMES: A Spanish slang term to express surprise ... and something you mutter under your breath when the PennDOT clerk tells you that you can't put it on your plate. LFGENZ: OK, boomer! EDGING: Yep, someone went there. We're edging toward a very, very dark place in Pennsylvania license plate history. FAFO: Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's go-to catchphrase ended up on T-shirts, but PennDOT was like "FAFO" when someone tried replicating the cringeworthy meme on a plate. FITFO: Apparently, this stands for "Figure it the f--k out." We just did. FLUFF-U: It's where you go to get a bachelor of science (BS). FWAGON: Keep your mind out of the G-utter, folks. Clearly, this is a typo — F and G are right next to each other on the keyboard — from someone chest-pounding about their new Mercedes Benz G-Class. UZAHO: AKA E-ZPass' licentious cousin. Get it, or is that too subtle? GOVNA: That's Mr. Shapiro to you, bloke. PENNDOT: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
CBS News
6 days ago
- CBS News
Long-term paving project getting underway today in Westmoreland County
A long-term paving project is getting underway today in several parts of Westmoreland County, including a busy stretch of Rt. 30 in North Huntingdon Township. The project will impact five state roads throughout the county in total. The resurfacing work will be taking place along Route 30 in North Huntingdon Township and Unity Township, Clopper Street in Greensburg, Pittsburgh Street in East Huntingdon Township, Youghiogheny Street in Adamsburg, and Hancock Avenue in Allegheny Township. All of the routes will see single-lane, alternating traffic and the work is expected to take place on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The work is expected to continue until October. Flaggers will be in the area to guide people around the work, which PennDOT says is part of an $11.3 million project.
CBS News
15-07-2025
- CBS News
PennDOT monitoring second weekday of new traffic pattern on the Parkway North
It's the second weekday for a new traffic pattern on the Parkway North and PennDOT will be monitoring the situation to see if things are a bit smoother than they were on Monday. The question is -- will the confused driver syndrome continue today? And is anything being done to fix it? If the history of roadwork is a teacher, things were less than ideal on Monday and today could prove to be worse. Confusion was the name of the game Monday along the Parkway North where PennDOT had implemented a crossover so that crews can work on the ramps to the Veterans Bridge. The KDKA Drone Team was flying high in the sky Monday morning and witnessed driver after driver getting to the new split and realizing they were in the wrong lane. In some cases, they came to a full stop, creating hold your breath moments. "You know, I equate a lot of times, people are kind of on cruise control when they're driving in the rush hours, and they're just accustomed to being in the lanes that they're always in, and now those have shifted around a little bit for this temporary traffic setup," said PennDOT Senior Assistant Construction Engineer John Myler. Myler says PennDOT will be continuing to monitor the situation this week and see how drivers adjust to the change and that an evaluation will come at the end of the week. KDKA heard from more than a few drivers who say there isn't enough warning. Myler points out there are three overhead electronic signs and very large orange signs that should be catching drivers' attention as well. Monday is typically a lighter day for traffic and the bigger test comes today and tomorrow with Wednesday expected to be the biggest challenge.
