Major Project Could Solve Multiple Pittsburgh Traffic Headaches

PITTSBURGH, PA — Major safety improvements are coming to the Parkway East and the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway, including the flood-prone parkway area near the Downtown area nicknamed "the bathtub."

More than $140 million has been allocated for the project, according to Pennsylvania elected officials such as U.S. senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman and U.S. representatives Summer Lee and Chris Deluzio.

A 2019 study rated the parkway as the fifth most congested road in the nation. This project will attempt to reduce that congestion and the corridor’s safety hazards. The myriad upgrades include rehabilitating 10 bridges, installing a new flood wall and remediation of the bathtub area.

Also, stabilizing hilly terrain between Monroeville and Downtown will be a priority, as well as improving bus infrastructure and making shoulder and sidewalk safety upgrades on stretches of South Braddock Avenue and Route 30/Lincoln Highway/Ardmore Boulevard.

It's unclear when the massive improvement project will begin.