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Liberty bridge sidewalk

Was going to ride up to Mt. Washington this morning using EFT/Jail Trail to Liberty Bridge sidewalk, was running behind and drove (yeah, I know, boo). Looked like the sidewalk was closed, anyone confirm? I'm going to have to go up there at some point. Is the only access point 10th street bridge to McArdle, currently?
ka_jun
2016-07-25 13:32:37
Yes the Liberty Bridge sidewalk is closed. In addition to the 10th street route you mentioned, you can also go over the Smithfield Street bridge - left on Carson Street - Right onto Arlington - right onto McArdle (or look for a staircase on your right just before the intersection and take that to avoid that messy bridge intersection).
marko82
2016-07-25 13:41:31
I second the idea of the staircase from Arlington. It involves a brief, level walk under the bridge. Last time I went through there, I noted a good bit of slick mud that had washed down from above. Walk the bike and use caution, and you should be fine.
stuinmccandless
2016-07-25 14:49:11
Cool. Thanks, good to know.
ka_jun
2016-07-26 13:51:53
JZ, at the risk to sound as Captain Obvious... There a couple other streets you can use to get to Mt.Washington... Sycamore (:)), Greenleaf, S18th-[Arlington, Mt. Oliver]-Warrington-Beltzhoover.
mikhail
2016-07-26 15:57:14
No, not Cpt. Obvious. Mt. Washington is out of my sector, I don't get up there often.
ka_jun
2016-07-27 12:32:06
It involves going the wrong way on a one way street but up Arlington, then bang a right on Williams St. It's VERY low traffic and a beautiful view.
mayhew
2016-07-28 10:03:26
Some good news regarding this sidewalk: I saw today that PennDOT is extending the sidewalk that goes to the Liberty bridge along Boulevard of the Allies all the way to Grant St. and then wrapping it around to go back to Ross St. If you recall, that sidewalk currently ends at the Ross St staircase. This means that in the future you won't have to portage your bike up the Ross St stairs (which appear to be getting a makeover, too) in order to ride on the Liberty bridge sidewalk from downtown. Sweet!
chrishent
2017-07-08 17:12:52
I can't wrap my mind around this - where the current sidewalk goes and where it will go, and the Ross street steps. Can someone Google map the changes for my thick brain... I was just on Ross this am. Took it to first and went by golden triangle bikes. Never knew there were stairs to the bridge.
edronline
2017-07-08 19:20:22
Thanks. Got it.  Those go to Blvd of the allies from Ross. Makes more sense now  
edronline
2017-07-08 21:35:20
When Yale and I did our grand tour of 22 Pittsburgh bridges, we used those steps to get up to Liberty Bridge. The new approach from Grant St will be nice! https://ridewithgps.com/routes/11459207
paulheckbert
2017-07-09 10:06:20
I went by that area again today and took some pics: https://twitter.com/chrishent/status/884141251125182466 Note that there does not appear to be a curb cut at the bottom on Grant. That would be nice to have, since it would make it easier for cyclists to get on the sidewalk at that point. To whom do we have to talk to get one?
chrishent
2017-07-09 20:30:47
So a bit of bad news on the possibility of curb cut at Grant...the intent of the sidewalk extension in general is to make the bridge ADA-accessible from the downtown side by eliminating the steps at Ross Street.   Since the Blvd ramp where the sidewalk will be extended enters the Grant St intersection at an uncontrolled location, providing direct access to the crosswalk via a curb cut wouldn't have met accessibility criteria; you'd essentially be risking sending a visually impaired walker into the middle of the intersection.  There will be a hand rail wrapping the "turnaround" portion of the sidewalk with a curb cut down at the Ross St intersection.
nmr
2017-07-10 08:43:33
^that's still way better than carrying a bike up the steps, but I'll hold judgement until I see the finished setup.  
marko82
2017-07-10 09:34:01
I do not see the need to remove the steps. Can someone clue me in?
stuinmccandless
2017-07-10 21:38:10
My guess is that maintenance of the steps were factored in here.
edronline
2017-07-10 22:22:03
I cannot answer the questions about opening date or how much maintenance it is going to get. (If history is any guide, none, but intrepid cyclists might clear it for the city if we get sick enough of flats.) As to where it goes, that too is a good question. The south end more/less connects to the sidewalk at the bottom of McArdle. Also at that same point is a sidewalk/staircase combo that takes you down to Arlington very near its junction with East Carson. My recollection is that this sidewalk is always wet, so be very careful, both for ice in the winter and algae in the summer that can make it slippy. The north end is in question. There used to be a staircase that connected to Ross St, but I am told that that has been closed. That would mean the only access is from the corner of Grant and Blvd of the Allies, but I have not verified that.
stuinmccandless
2017-10-21 10:36:53
Why can't the people who are responsible for clearing the sidewalks do their job? That is what they get paid to do. I would volunteer to keep snow and ice off Pocusset St. and other sidewalks, paths and trails if anyone else would like to join in on it.
zzwergel
2017-10-21 17:45:09
Get yourself a sturdy shovel and see how long it takes to clear even one shovel width of a bridge deck after a snowfall. If you can get right on it within three hours of the end of the snowfall event, it’s a lot easier than if packed down.
stuinmccandless
2017-10-21 22:51:04
Does anyone know when it will open?
zzwergel
2018-10-05 22:16:16
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michaelfox
2018-10-06 19:09:21
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zzwergel
2018-10-07 10:29:54
ICYMI, the sidewalk on the Liberty Bridge is now fully open. The steps from Ross St were fully redone, and the sidewalk now extends all the way down to Grant St. Unfortunately, as discussed before, there is no curb cut at the bottom on Grant St that would ease access to sidewalk on a bike. Overall, an improvement over what was there before; in my opinion, this is the best quickest way to ride up to Mt Washington from downtown. No lights between Grant St. and Grandview Ave!
chrishent
2018-11-06 10:20:37
That does sound nice. I just rode up Arlington to McArdle yesterday. I would have taken the Liberty bridge had I known the sidewalk was open. Now if only we could get a bikeway the rest of the way from the south end of the tubes to Mt. Lebanon, I'd be set.
clengman
2018-11-06 13:56:20