Pgh.'s Charles Anderson Bridge To Lose Lane Of Traffic When Renovated

PITTSBURGH, PA —The closed Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge at the entrance to Schenley Park might not reopen until 2026, city officials said Tuesday in an update on the long-term renovation of the dilapidated span.

When the bridge does reopen, expect the number of lanes for vehicular traffic to be reduced from four to three.

The Charles Anderson Bridge, which connects Oakland to Squirrel Hill and Greenfield, was closed Feb. 1 for emergency repairs that were expected to take four months. But to the dismay of the 21,000 motorists who used the bridge daily, city officials instead decided to proceed with a full rehabilitation of the span.

In the update provided Tuesday, city officials said design work for the project should be completed by the end of the year, with construction anticipated to begin next spring. The work currently is anticipated to take two construction seasons, but the possibility exists it could extend into a third.

The bridge currently has two lanes of traffic in each direction and a sidewalk on each side. Current design plans call for the refurbished span to have two outbound lanes, one inbound lane, a bicycle lane and sidewalks on each side.

Access to the Junction Hollow Trail underneath the bridge in Schenley Park will be maintained during construction with the possibility of intermittent stoppages of trail usage during construction for the safety of trail users. The Bridle Trail will be closed during construction. Trail users will be directed to the Anderson Playground pedestrian tunnel a short distance away.