BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

It's good. You can get through, a touch bumpy though.

that section of the trail isn't too bad, some dodgeable crushed stone, but its mostly hardpack until you reach pavement.

personally, i want to strangle the jackaninny that approved the design of that horrendous pedestrian bridge, if i really wanted a ride that went "kathump kathump kathump" every 3 seconds, i'd bang my wheels with a hammer for 20 min before i left the house.

Yea that pedestrian bridge is rough. From what it feels like/looks like I think it is a precast system and the slabs were probably craned in and placed vs a poured in place system, unfortunately creating those "bumps".

I'm on that section several times a week now, but running. The bumpy rock-filled puddles seem to be semi-permanent, but the trail is open and in pretty decent condition.

I've noticed that with that bridge down there are more "oops, this isn't how you get to the island in a car?" on the trail. I also encountered a cop car on the trail, farther in-town, but they must have been driving for about a mile because there was no way for them to get on the trail (or off, for a good while). No lights, no sirens, just random cop car driving up the trail.

We've discussed the bridge design before on here, the conclusion that I believe in is that the bumps are actually part of the design for drainage or something. I also believe there are other ways of doing it that may produce a more pleasant riding surface, but it's so regular it makes sense that it's not accidental, but intentional.

i've actually taken my road bike on that trail, and it really wasn't that bad. hope they get rid of the larger stones in the end. but, for now, it's not bad.

Thanks for all the responses. As others mentioned, it was a tad rocky for my road bike, but manageable. The construction crews seemed to be keeping things pretty clear of the trail.

+1 pbeaver. That bridge certainly did a good job at keeping me alert this morning. So bizarre. I hope ejwme is right that it was designed with a purpose, and not just poorly constructed.

the bridge surface is probably the result of both design & installation. While i'm sure the drainage /de-icing properties are intentional, the practical application is (redacted).

Yeah, it's a bit annoying, but I'll take a quarter mile of hummocky concrete to a quarter mile of washed-out gravel, or not having a trail, anytime.

@stuinmccandless i was just on that trail this evening, and said the exact same thing. it's bumpy, yes. and, it's not washed out gravel.

This probably involves the trail too: February 8, 2013 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Traffic stoppages are expected on northbound Route 28 today as crews set beams for the 31st Street Bridge interchange. Weather permitting, there will be stoppages of 15 minutes or less between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to PennDOT. Southbound traffic will not be affected.

I am sooo looking forward to being the first vehicle across the 31st Street Bridge for the second time. [2007 blog post]