PennDOT seeking input on proposals for changes to Parkway East interchange in Squirrel Hill
When it comes to traffic bottlenecks, the worst in Pittsburgh are going into the tunnels on the parkways, so PennDOT is planning to change the interchange on the city side of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.
To call it a mess is an understatement, so PennDOT is giving you a chance to weigh in on what's coming in the future.
With its short ramps, stop signs, and weaving, it's not surprising that the Parkway East interchange in Squirrel Hill has been ranked among the top ten worst in all of the United States and the United Kingdom -- but there's a major problem in doing something about it.
"The tunnel is the is the main inhibitor there," said Doug Selley, PennDOT's District 11 Assistant District Engineer for Design.
The tunnel has featured two lanes in and two lanes out since 1953 and that won't be changing -- but PennDOT is going to try and do something about it.
"I wouldn't say that we're going to eliminate ramps, but we're going to reconfigure them and likely have new connection points for some of these ramps that will facilitate that traffic flow through the interchange," Seeley said.
Seeley says PennDOT has three proposals for the future design and they want to hear from the public with input.
"The alternatives have different impacts on on the local residents in the area and the local community," Seeley said. "So we definitely want to hear their concerns, or maybe things that we're not thinking of, or things that we're not aware of. So it's definitely important for us to hear the feedback."
Seeley joked that it would be nice to just drill another tunnel in Squirrel Hill and also at the site of the Fort Pitt Tunnel, but that isn't even a consideration.
The ramp changes are coming and on Thursday night, a public hearing is being held at Greenfield Elementary School from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The work to the interchanges isn't expected to begin until after the work is done on the Edgewood side of the tunnel involving the Commercial Street Bridge, so it won't get underway until 2029 with completion until 2031.
