In today's P-G:
During construction, trail users will be detoured onto the right lane of inbound Second Avenue. That lane will be closed to vehicle traffic and cordoned off for the safety of trail users.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10117/1053551-53.stm#ixzz0mJ6dfyFj
In today's P-G:
During construction, trail users will be detoured onto the right lane of inbound Second Avenue. That lane will be closed to vehicle traffic and cordoned off for the safety of trail users.
And they quote Scott talking about it. He made the excellent point that the city needs to keep the detour free of debris.
Mr. Hassett said the lane closure should have minimal effect on vehicular traffic. He said most vehicles in the right lane turn onto Bates, while traffic in the left lane continues toward Downtown.
Are they closing the whole trail and moving it onto second, or just the portion before/after/around Bates? Will one be able to access hot metal bridge from the trail? or do we have to cross various intersections around bates and second and climb up the ped ramp there?
Once the project is advertised you will find the associated plans and specifications here.
You will want to review the documentation relating to the "Maintenance and Protection of Traffic Plan."
@dwillen--that's a really fine question. Just how will bike traffic get past the entrance to Bates street without an issue with traffic turning right there? Will there be a control signal for bike/pedestrian/roller blading etc. traffic? I'm hoping Erok is right and they'll build the new one first, though I'm not sure how much room there is up there for two bridges plus equipment.
I meant to look on my ride to work this morning but there was a bit of a headwind on the jail trail at 7:00 a.m. and I was keeping my profile low. I'll try to remember scope it out on the way home.
I believe bates will be closed there during the construction.
Well that would solve that problem. Although one wonders what it will do to traffic on the Blvd of the Allies and through Schenley Park to Greenfield Ave.
@mark semi-unrealted... does anyone know why the hell they put a pointy curb blocking the trail access at the bottom of bates?
Didn't someone post recently (maybe in the Hot Metal Bridge Thread?) that a 311 operator told him/her that there was no official access to the trail from Bates Street? Maybe they are trying to make that true?
@jeffinpgh: That would be the response I got from the 311 service yes. All I was asking for was for that entrance to be improved. Maybe paved, single light fixture, better Bates access, anything. Hopefully the one positive out of this "detour" is that it could by default be improved. And it IS an entrance as there is clearly a sign there that says "Eliza Furnace Trail Access". This still doesn't accommodate for a fairly crappy riding experience between there and the Boulevard.
can we please add better nighttime lighting to the list of requests?
@saltm513: Do you mean right there at the trail entrance at Bates, or do you mean along the whole length of the Jail Trail? If you mean the latter I certainly agree with you, especially along the stretch between Hot Metal and the parking lot/terminus. Might as well throw lighting request for the entire Junction Hollow Trail/Boundary St. as well...
*crosses fingers in the hopes that this detour improves the Bates access ramp by necessity*
I definitely mean the entire stretch. A new friend of mine had a terrible thing happen to her a couple years ago while on a bike path by herself at night in North Carolina. I have since modified my nighttime cycling.
Although I am in favor of safety, biking through the hollow in the middle of the night is very peaceful and almost zen-like. I do think lights would make things at least feel safer and as a result increase cycling participation.
I have noticed occasional nighttime police patrols on the Eliza Furnace trail, and I was blinded by a cruiser in the parking lot in Panther Hollow recently, so at least there's that.
What do you guys think about doing some kind of "citizen's auxiliary" thing on the trails at night? There used to be a citizen's auxiliary patrol in Squirrel Hill, I think.
I always wonder whether I'm going to get hassled for being there when it's closed, but I guess that's another one of those laws that isn't a law unless someone wants it to be.
C.O.P. Citizens on Patrol. We need to get Bobcat Goldthwait involved.
