by Jennifer Baron
January 30, 2008, Pop City Media

Pedestrians, residents and commuters will soon have creative new choices for navigating East Liberty's streets and shops.

A much-anticipated pedestrian bridge that will connect East Liberty to Shadyside is the subject of a community meeting on Jan 30 at Reizenstein School. The meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. at 129 Denniston Ave.

Bridge artist Sheila Klein will unveil 3-D design renderings, facilitate a dialogue about her conceptual approach and present past work. Kim Baker, the City's manager of public art, will take questions. The Washington state-based artist—who hails from Pittsburgh—is designing the 87-foot bridge, which will sit 23 feet above the ground and link Ellsworth Ave. to Eastside.

Artists have designed bridges in counties around the globe, and in U.S. cities such as Tucson, Atlanta and Tacoma. “It's exciting to have an artist work with architects and engineers on the bridge. We believe it's the first time it's happened in Pittsburgh or Pennsylvania,” says Baker, who expects Klein to establish partnerships with local organizations. “There's potential for working with the Glass Center on pieces incorporated into the bridge. It's exactly the kind of thing we want to do.”

In other East Liberty news, Port Authority and a public-private redevelopment team lead by Eastside developer The Mosites Company are exploring a joint venture—the first of its kind for the transit agency—to help foster revitalization in East Liberty. Central to the plan is converting Penn Circle back to two-way traffic. A transit-oriented development near the MLK, Jr. East Busway could include links to new retail, traffic pattern improvements, public parking, and better connections to Shadyside and Oakland.

Writer: Jennifer Baron
Sources: Kim Baker, City of Pittsburgh; Port Authority of Allegheny County