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PennDOT: Bayfront Parkway closure progressing; committee raises detour, signage and pedestrian-signal concerns
Summary
PennDOT reported progress on Bayfront Parkway work; committee members raised concerns about detour signage on local roads, Google Maps routing queuing traffic into short intersections, and pending pedestrian push-button flashers.
Mark Nicholson (PennDOT District 1) and other PennDOT staff briefed the coordinating committee on the Bayfront Parkway project and other district updates on Sept. 10. Nicholson said the contractor closed the Parkway after Labor Day and reported substantial progress in the first week; PennDOT has installed a camera on UPMC Hamot to capture time-lapse images of work.
Committee members raised several operational concerns. One member said local routes (East Lake, East Eighth and East Tenth) currently give limited advance warning that drivers cannot proceed north on the Bayfront Parkway, which forces motorists to travel to the wastewater treatment plant before encountering a detour. The member said drivers who reach the Bayfront closure then must turn around, sometimes creating unsafe maneuvers.
Members also reported that routing algorithms (for example, Google Maps) were sending drivers on a detour path that queues vehicles into the short Cranberry/Fourth/Bayfront intersections, creating new traffic bottlenecks. PennDOT staff said they can notify map providers about road closures but cannot specify preferred detour routes; they agreed to raise the signage and routing concerns with the construction team and traffic experts.
On pedestrian facilities, committee members asked about push-button flashing pedestrian signals at East Front and Holland; PennDOT staff said the flashers have been ordered, were not installed at the time of the meeting and that procurement timelines suggested installation within weeks. Staff also said a signal at State and Front is installed but has not been activated and that stop signs may be used in the short term to manage the intersection.
PennDOT staff asked for continued feedback and said they would work with the contractor and the city to add detour signage where appropriate and to check the pedestrian-flasher procurement status.
