Businesses Hope Partial Closure Of Fort Duquesne Boulevard Will Breathe Life Back Into Downtown
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A portion of Fort Duquesne Boulevard will close to traffic for five months for recreational reasons.
Fort Duquesne Boulevard's westbound lane from Stanwix to Seventh streets will close from May 10 to Oct. 7. That area will transform into the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's Allegheny Overlook pop-up park.
The traffic change will create space for summer events and activities, which could help businesses and breathe life back into downtown Pittsburgh.
"Anything to get people back into the city, I'm all for it. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership has done a great job getting people back into the city," said Len Semplice, owner of Redbeard's Sports Bar and Grill.
There will be a temporary park-like experience along with art and music throughout the summer. The street will also house the Riverside stage for Three Rivers Arts Festival. The 10-day festival begins on June 4.
These events on Fort Duquesne Boulevard should attract more people to come downtown. Restaurants on Sixth Street are looking forward to a boost in business after taking a hit from the pandemic.
"When there's foot traffic, there's people in here. Not a lot of people are downtown because businesses are closed. So if there are people down here, it will definitely help business a lot," said Taylor Wall, a bartender at Cafe Milano.
More events for the pop-up park will be announced as they are confirmed. The upcoming events are cooking up hope for businesses in the city.
"I think that's awesome. At least it will let us go back to normal a little bit," said Wall.
Semplice said sadly, his restaurant is losing revenue because they can't handle the recent increase in business. He said they don't have enough employees. He said he would open a booth at these events, but he won't be able to now.
During the partial closure of Fort Duquesne Boulevard, drivers should follow the westbound detour from Seventh Street to Penn Avenue to Stanwix Street.