Beechview’s Broadway Ave can be transformed with your help

Broadway Ave, the main thoroughfare in Beechview, is primed to undergo a street transformation, dubbed the “Broadway Avenue Public Realm.” The City held a public meeting last summer that laid out some proposals for the redesign, which included accommodating people on bikes. However, much has changed since then, and it’s unclear what the City intends to do, while still maintaining a commitment to the Complete Streets Policy that they passed last year.  The policy says that new projects must accommodate all users, or prove why they cannot. As of publishing, the City website associated with the Broadway Ave Public Realm is blank. the website is now live and misprinted on the City’s flyer (edit: Feb 1).

New Bike/Ped Committee in Beechview 

Enter the City’s newest Bike/Ped Committee, Beechview Complete Streets. Residents of Beechview have begun organizing to make sure that their neighbors who walk, bike, take transit, and use wheelchairs have a voice in the design process of this project. Ultimately, they seek to enhance the safety and convenience of their neighborhood pedestrian, biking and transit amenities.

Beechview Complete Streets meets on the second Tuesday of the month, with the next meeting on February 13, 2017 at the Beechview Public Library.

What’s Next? Broadway Ave Public Meetings

If you care about the future of Broadway Ave, be sure to attend these upcoming public meetings. The City will be hosting two public meetings to discuss the latest design proposals in this project. As of publishing, it is not clear what the City plans to propose.

They are looking for residents to help revise the plan, provide feedback, and ask questions.

Thursday, February 1, 6:30pm-8:30pm

St Pamphilus Church, 1000 Tropical Ave, Pittsburgh, PA

This meeting will consist of a presentation and an opportunity to go over the plans with other residents.

Saturday, February 3, 12pm-3pm

Beechview Senior Center, 1555 Broadway Ave, Pittsburgh, PA (use side entrance near parking lot)

This meeting will be more of an Open House format with opportunities to talk to the design team about the project.

Some History

In 2015, The City of Pittsburgh submitted a grant application titled the Broadway Avenue Complete Streets Renovation to Pennsylvania’s Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED). As a result, it received a grant from the Multimodal Fund to improve transportation choice for people accessing the Beechview neighborhood’s main street. Having a blend of options is a proven way to make sure people can access a business district, and improve the overall health and the quality of life for residents.

Celebrating the winning of this grant, State Senator Wayne Fontana, in a July 2016 press release, stated “this project will make that business corridor safer, more attractive and more accessible for pedestrian and bicycle travel,” and went on to say that “the new design will likely include transit stop improvements, bike lanes, and improved pedestrian crossings.”

Earlier this year, the City of Pittsburgh began the process of planning for this important project which will also help beautify Broadway Ave, as well fix some long standing safety issues. Adding bike and transit improvements has been part of the plan since the project’s inception in 2015.

From the very first meeting, the City presented a proposal to fix Broadway Ave that included bike lanes and improved transit access to the T. In accordance with City’s Complete Streets Policy, all new projects must accommodate all users, or prove why they cannot.

Broadway Avenue is wide enough to accommodate bike lanes without a change to parking, a rarity in a city known for narrow streets.