Dan’s ARTEZ-inspired route from Blawnox to Millvale

Last week I had the pleasure of spending time with ARTEZ  (Allegheny River Town Enterprise Zone) and the seven communities they represent along the Allegheny River (Millvale, Etna, Shaler, O’Hara, Sharpsburgh, Aspinwall and Blawnox) to improve their corridor’s bike and pedestrian connectivity. For the least year ARTEZ has been working to extend the Three Rivers Heritage trail through these towns, but the necessary riverfront real-estate is owned by a number of different railroad companies, municipalities and private land owners – lots of cooks in the kitchen!

It’ll still be a few years until we have a dedicated riverfront trail, but until then, ARTEZ’s short-term goal is to implement an on-street extension of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail through their communities using sharrows and signage.

In the mean time, the route is still an interesting way to travel between the ARTEZ municipalities, and connect to the existing Three Rivers Heritage Trail system! It may even be your best option for Bike to Work Day. Lets check it out:

We’re starting our commute at the Post Office on Old Freeport Rd. and heading West towards Millvale (and maybe to Downtown Pittsburgh if thats where your commute ends). There are plenty of places to pick up this route if you’re coming from other points North or East: lots of commuters come from towns like Fox Chapel, Glenshaw, Alison Park or O’Hara by using Delafield Rd, Kittaning Pike, or Mt. Royal Blvd. See the Google Maps directions here.

1. Head west on Old Freeport Rd.
2. At the first light we’re making a left onto (“new”) Freeport Rd. Freeport is not an ideal place to ride a bike, but this stretch was just repaved and painted with some wide(ish) shoulders. Be careful of cars pulling in and out of the Waterworks strip mall and other side streets. Be sure to imagine how nice it will be with bike lanes!
3. Keep on riding down Freeport Rd. until the lane widens and passes under the Highland Park Bridge. Be confident with your lane positioning here, and be aware of cars that may turn right onto the Bridge’s on-ramp.
4. When you pass under the Highland Park Bridge, the road turns into Main St. and runs though Sharpsburg. I’m always impressed with the character of this street when I ride though. It definitely feels different than other streets in the region – enjoy the flat topography, and the well-striped crosswalks.
5. Once you reach this fork in the road, you’re going to bare right onto North Main street, and head under the 62nd St. Bridge.
6. Take the right lane all the way to the stop sign and turn right onto Bridge Street. (This is the most unnerving stretches. Be aware and confident enough to claim the lane.)
7. Now we’re in Etna, and we’ve got to do a quick few turns to get through their downtown.  From Bridge St., take a quick left onto Freeport St.
8. Then take another left onto Butler St. and ride for a quarter mile
9. Turn right onto Washington St., then bare another quick right on Parker St., which turns into Seavey St. Now you’re looking at the hill!  Its not too bad, less than a half mile, but its the route we have to take because there isn’t any room down by the river.  (Remember what I said about too many cooks in the kitchen? ARTEZ is looking at Parker/Seavy instead of Friday because its wider and allows more room for the coexistence of bikes and cars.)
10. Top-out the climb, enjoy the downhill, at the stop sign turn left onto Evergreen Ave.
11. Make a really quick right onto brick-paved North Ave.
12. To make the next quick left onto North Ave., you have to ride around a planted median (see the graphic to the right).
13. From here on into Millvale, its easy-cruising. Stay on North Ave. and admire Millvale’s charming houses.  Stop for sweets at Jean-Marc Chatellier’s French Bakery, or check out the impressive model train setup in the basement of Esther’s Hobby Shop.
14. Make the left onto Grant Ave. Amble past the new Community Library and check out their new bike racks. If this is your destination, then welcome to Millvale! If you’re heading on to downtown, you can easily access the trail by baring right when you get to East Ohio Street, then taking the first left under the train tracks to get to the start of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

The ARTEZ communities are exiting places thanks to some hidden (and not-so-hidden) treasures, quaint architecture, and dedicated citizens leading community-driven development. You can feel the home-grown excitement riding through their business districts.

This route is the beginning of a great success story for bikes.  With the dedicated funding, ARTEZ will be able to improve the safety of this route and open it as an option for commuters and tourism by bike. Get involved with ARTEZ to help with with bringing on-street bike improvements to the corridor. Join the Millvale Borough Bike and Pedestrian Committee to take part in their grassroots effort. Stay tuned to BikePGH’s blog to hear more updates on this project.

Enjoy this route, and hopefully you can work it into your Bike to Work Day travels.

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Aero Tech Designs is a cycling apparel manufacture located in Pittsburgh Pa with 30 years of industry experience. Keeping true to their roots Aero Tech Designs has produced cyclewear in the USA since the early 80’s. ATD specializes in comfortable road, mtb, commuter, and touring clothing, and are located in Coraopolis, PA. They are also available for any custom apparel needs you may have. www.aerotechdesigns.com

Dan’s Aero Tech Designs Clothing Favorite.

3M Scotchlite Reflective 360 High Visibility Full Zip Cycling Jacket

This jacket wins the battle of Form vs. Function! Its waterproof, windproof, and lightly insulated – perfect for fall or spring riding. It has plenty of ventilation in the “pits”. It has reflective striping on the front, back and sides, so you can be seen from all sides.  And, if you get it in black, you can wear it anywhere without looking like a neon sign! A comfy jacket that will serve me well this Bike to Work Day.