Open Streets event to close roads in Downtown, North Side

The second round of Open Streets is coming to Pittsburgh this weekend, requiring some motorists to adjust their plans.

Sunday’s route, like the June event, begins in Downtown, but this time snakes through the North Side and West End.

From Market Square, the event will shut down Market Street to Liberty Avenue and then Sixth Street across the Roberto Clemente Bridge (where it turns into Federal Avenue) to South Commons Street in the North Side. The route will curve west – against the usual flow of traffic in the Allegheny Commons loop – to Ridge Avenue.

The route continues a couple blocks down Ridge to West Ohio Street, which then turns into Western Avenue. Participants will take Western down to the West End Bridge, across the Ohio River to the West End Circle.

The route takes a quick jog onto Steuben Street before cutting over to Lincoln Highway/Route 60, with a terminus at the intersection of Lincoln and Wabash Street in the West End.

Those streets begin closing to vehicular traffic at 8 a.m., with Open Streets beginning at 9 a.m. and going until 1 p.m; roads will be reopened at 1:30 p.m. Cars parked on those streets after 3 a.m. Sunday will be towed.

There are nine vehicle crossings planned along the route where motorists can pass through: Market Street and Fifth Avenue; Liberty Avenue and Sixth Street; Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Sixth; Federal and General Robinson streets; Federal and Reedsdale Street; Western Avenue and Brighton Road; Western and Allegheny Avenue; West End Bridge and Route 51; and South Main Street and Sanctus Street.

Bike Pittsburgh, which organizes the event, expects about 25,000 pedestrians and cyclists to take advantage of the open stretches of road. A wide variety of activities will take place along the route, such as fitness classes, children’s activities, food truck roundups and more. Water stations, portable restrooms and EMS stations are also positioned along the route.

The final Open Streets event of 2017 will be held July 30.

Cox Media Group