BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I went through there last night and the detour is no more, which I wasn't aware of. The bridge isn't open but it certainly looked more or less done.

is the surface grass? i recall laughing uncontrollably when reviewing the bid documents that the bridge surface was grass - real grass.

I didn't get that good of a look at it, but that sounds crazy.

I went by there today, but didn't look at the surface. I was busy admiring the glass sequins. It looks fantastic. It's destined to be a tag.

@ Swalfort ... Do you know who the "we" in your post "we made 8,000 glass sequins?" The Pittsburgh Glass Center? Random helpers, specific artists?

Sneak preview:

The glass sequins are nice! The chain link is painted blue - you can kind of tell in the bottom right foreground -- and the sequins look a lot like white reflectors. I'm guessing this bridge will be quite a boost for the businesses along Ellsworth.

@Dan - I went back to the original newsletter to see if there was any clarification on the "we." There wasn't. Since the Pgh Glass Center is a member based organization/facility, I assume it to mean "their members" or "our facilties" but I don't really know. It does sound like the artist referenced did the prototypes there, and then "they/we" went into production mode.

P.S. If you ever get a chance, check it out. It's a neat facility. About a block west of Negley, on Penn.

I was really impressed. the bridge looks great.

What is the advantage of this bridge over the bridge 100ft away? (serious question)

A legit question.

It will save peds and cyclists coming from Shadyside a minute or two. It is definitely an aesthetic upgrade & nice to see something designed for humans - not cars. After taking the photo, I rode my bike across the covered walkway w/ ramp that connects Ellsworth with the E Liberty Busway roundabout. That thing could really use a facelift. Totally functional but dingy.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11065/1130099-53.stm

@mayhew - it's further away than 100ft but that was pretty much my thought as well.

@pseuda - it only saves time if you're going to the shopping center. Which I'm pretty sure is exactly the point.

It looks like the bridge on Highland needs repairs. It'll be nice to have if they do ever end up closing that bridge for a while.

The replacement of the bridge (pdf) on Highland is apparently in design and is schedule for construction this spring.

The new bridge connects Ellsworth Avenue to "East Side." Ellsworth Avenue does not intersect the Highland Avenue bridge - Ellsworth actually passes below. So, before this new bridge, folks wanting to walk or bike, would walk either continue down to Highland, climb the stairs, then back track.

Also, once upon a time, there was a full-blown bridge (Spahr Street) at this location.

Seems like a pretty legitimate location for a bridge to me, as it connects two business areas.

It connects a public street to a private shopping center. If you want to go somewhere other than the shopping center you've either got to take a set of stairs or go to Highland Ave. anyways.

Also, I have yet to see anything official saying that bikes are permitted on the bridge. In any case, again, you have to navigate a parking lot filled with agressive drivers and good luck if you want to subsequently make a left on Highland.

If the bridge connected to a public street on the other end I wouldn't have a problem with it.

I view the bridge as a shortcut to highland or Center from Ellsworth. I cut through that parking all the time and never had a problem with aggressive drivers or making a left onto Highland. I like the new bridge I think it's progress.

Last I was there, that private shopping center still had a bike shop and a pretty popular grocery store. Plus, I recall no fewer than three exits onto Penn Circle South from that center (as I agree that exit onto Highland going left sucks).

I personally don't have a problem cutting through shopping centers (I love slipping through Bakery Square for example - zipping through their parking lot from Mellon Park to ELB), and I don't see why taking advantage of this bridge to cut through East Side wouldn't be any different.

hmm...

Initially when I saw this bridge going up, I didn't know it was a pedestrian bridge and thought "great, this will just get worse" in terms of parking lot mayhem, but upon finding out it's car-free, my gut reaction was relief mixed with something like "ok, somebody gets it... how do we get them to do more?"

so anybody know who initiated this bridge? I don't understand how in one city we can have a bridge like this, and at the same time so many infrastructure faux pas. Is this just the developer understanding their client base and making a commercially smart move?

The current head of URA used to head up ELDI (East Liberty Development) and has been thinking about the area for a long time.

Yeah, I finally looked at the article and looked up URA.

Seems like they're more single site oriented, rather than broad based policy change oriented. The projects all look really cool, but until pieces are put together with mixed use friendly infrastructure, only the neighbors will get to enjoy them.

But it is nice to see a good thing and only be able to complain that we don't have more of it.

If the developer spent their own money instead of $1.5M of public funding on that bridge I would agree they "get it" and they could put the end wherever they want. Go back and read sloaps and swalfoort's responses on the initial thread and then tell me how much you love it. ALMKLM, you might want to review you own response as well.

That money could have been put to much better use, and if it was earmarked for the purposes sloaps said (to benefit low and moderate income persons) it is downright shameful it was used for gentrification instead.

low and moderate income people can use the bridge too, not just rich people from the suburbs who drive in to buy imported organic pomegranate out of season. Ahem.

My "somebody gets it" response was simply based on the idea that not all infrastructure must cater to the 4-wheeled beast. The fact that a pedestrian bridge was put in rather than taken down, perhaps in my uninformed opinion only, is a huge thing.

Not saying money couldn't be spent in other ways. I could complain about how they spend money in this city/county/state/country all day. That's not the fault of a pedestrian bridge, it's a bigger, and I'll call it separate, issue. I'm sure the fund that produced this produced quite a few other items of questionable benefit to low/moderate income people. That's an issue with the fund owners/regulators.

The bridge itself? I'll maintain my delighted surprise at its existence for a long while.

For more than a drive-thru/outsider's POV on what's been happening in East Liberty, check out Chris Ivey's film(s) "East of Liberty"-

http://www.eastofliberty.com/

It might lend some perspective to your view of this bridge, etc.

Some clips, slightly dated but worth watching-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwW44XKzCh4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V1xq1IyGqo&feature=related

+1^

Are those globes hanging above the bridge made of glass? I worry that they'll become targets.

But I like the idea that shoppers might now consider getting between Ellsworth and Eastside by walking or biking, not driving.

As I'm not familiar with the area, the only real question I have concerns the walkability and bikability of the area on the residential side of the bridge. How likely is it that anyone will actually use this bridge? How likely is it that people safely get across the tracks and busway, only to get mowed down the moment they encounter asphalt?

The new bridge would be something I will likely use on a regular basis, I tend to use that shopping area frequently, it connects you to my bike shop and to Whole Foods both places popular to pedestrians and cyclist. I don't know much about the money that was used to fund it I am only speaking from the view of pedestrian traffic. We want more car free lanes, trail, and bridges and now that we have something to connect us to an area very popular to cyclist why aren't we even a little happy about the progress.

I'm well aware of the issues with "gentrification" in the area now (and the sordid history of it in a variety of other neighborhoods in the city). Yup, they could have done better. I'm just amazed they did what they did, instead of using it to add a lane or an onramp to some pseudo-highway, or add a level to a parking garage, or some other vehicle-centric bs.

The bridge is built. It's convenient to me. It would have been even more convenient to me had it been build about 13 years ago. But I'm still gonna use it and be happy.

If I was going to spend energy being miserable over every infrastructure project that wasted money, I doubt i'd even be able to appreciate my own house. Not excusing the misspent funds, just also not ready to damn some convenient concrete for being put in a handy spot.

Stu - Ellsworth east of there only has sidewalk on one side, which is opposite the side of the bridge. west of there, it's both sides, and shopping. Spahr leads you further south to residential and some shopping. The nearest places to get to Ellsworth other than this new bridge are the pedestrian crossing at Swope St at the East Busway stop to the east (I never used it), and via S. Negley to the west (the way I always went when I was there). East Busway cuts off the bulk of the commercial district from the north except via those two entrances, neither is terribly convenient to the shops (this is on the edge of useful, but it's an improvement). Could use another one or two, honestly. But I'm a lazy pedestrian.

@salty - THIS thread seemed to concern the bridge as a piece of infrastructure. The other thread which you linked above was more to do with the money spent. I agree with ejwme above, and that fretting over where infrastructure money is spent once the project is all done but for the ribbon-cutting is a little bit futile.

As a piece of infrastructure, I think it will be effective in facilitating increased movement between a dense population center and a burgeoning shopping district. The debate over whether that was the "best use of funds" will never be settled.

If someone feeds you a shit sandwich you don't have to respond "good, I like sandwiches."

@salty: I don't understand that response.. Is it your opinion that the bridge is a shit sandwich?

@ salty we ask for a bike and pedestrian friendly city then when we get something specifically for cyclist and pedestrians that takes you to a area that cyclist and pedestrians frequent why call it a ____ sandwich.