Conceptual drawing of the new Negley Ave from the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure
Negley Ave Bike Lane Implementation Update
The City will be installing brand new bike lanes and sharrows on Negley Ave, connecting the East End neighborhoods of Highland Park, Friendship, East Liberty, Garfield and Shadyside. Basically, they will install bike lanes from Stanton Ave to the Negley Ave Busway Station (just south of Centre Ave), as well as adding several turning lanes to help make the corridor more efficient for motorists. Sharrows will continue for a few more blocks to Howe St, with no changes to the street design. Additionally, the extremely confusing, triangle shaped intersection of Negley and Roup, between Centre and Baum Blvd will see a complete redesign.
New design brings options, clarity, and safety
In addition to bringing clarity to the street layout, the project’s bike lanes will help provide residents with a new, reliable, and convenient transportation option along the corridor, connecting essential services like the busway and grocery stores to where people live.
The project, proposed to the public at a May 2016 meeting at the Union Project (presentation), is ready to go, according to the City’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, with construction beginning sometime next week, and finishing up by November 1,2017.
The new configuration will make Negley Ave clearer and safer for all users of the roadway, including pedestrians and motorized traffic.
The project includes a “road diet” in the particularly fast and dangerous section of the road, where it goes from two lanes to four for a couple blocks.
Underutilized street helped this redesign happen
The project will reduce this four-lane stretch to two lanes, bike lanes, and turning lanes, making crossing Negley on foot a less daunting task.
According to the City’s traffic analysis, the lanes and parking are currently underutilized, allowing for the redesign to include the bike lanes and the turning lanes. Further, the East Liberty Blvd bike lane project added dozens of convenient parking spaces in this area back in 2008, reducing the need for parking on Negley itself. A road diet is when the existing travel lanes are reduced in number or size, typically resulting in the slowing down and calming of traffic, while increasing predictability and safety.
If you have questions or comments on the redesign contact Kristin Saunders at the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure at Kristin.saunders@pittsburghpa.gov or call at 412-393-0150.
Negley is a missing link
Negley Ave is a missing link in connecting the East End’s bike lanes, sharrows, and trails. The new bike lanes will make the needed connection between all of the bike infrastructure on the southeastern end of the East End to the infrastructure on the northeastern end. Both sides of the East End have an emerging network of bike lanes, sharrows, and trails, yet are not clearly connected to each other.
The Negley Ave project will change this.
This project is funded through a Federal Transportation Alternatives Program Grant and work is scheduled to be completed by November 1, 2017.
Want to try out the new bike lane but unsure how, or need a bike?
FREE Classes
Bike Pittsburgh offers a range of cycling classes through the City Cycling program. Classes include on-bike instruction for brand new and seasoned riders. Try it for free with the code NEGLEY.
- 9/16 Confident City Cycling – East Liberty
- 9/19 Fundamentals of City Cycling @ The Wheel Mill, Homewood
- 10/21 Confident City Cycling – Downtown
More information and to register visit: bikepgh.org/our-work/education/citycycling/
Want to borrow a bike?
In 2015 the City of Pittsburgh installed our first public bike sharing program called Healthy Ride, and are offering free 60 minute rides. The nearest station is at Negley Avenue and Baum Boulevard. Try it for 60 minutes with a code found here: change.healthyridepgh.org. Contact Erin Potts at erin@pghbikeshare.org if you have any questions.
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1 Comment
Cool! I ride a route to the east end from the Northside using a section of Negley and this makes one more section of the ride stress free.