BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

go ahead and badmouth it. this is nothing more than the URA and a developer doing what they believe is prudent with state and federal money. why they couldn't raise the funding from private investors for a pedestrian-only bridge and direct subsidies to the highland avenue bridge is a question which should be raised anywhere and as often as possible.

this is one of two projects specifically earmarked to receive stimulus money - another was street lighting in the tunnels connecting the north shore to the northside - , which were facilitated by the URA under the guise of community investment and not infrastructure improvement (remember "shovel ready"?) - which typically comes from public works or planning. public works will continue to abuse CDBG funds to pave streets, fix sidewalks and patch a few bridges. the jail trail bridge replacement is also stiumulus funding, but may have gone through the SPC's TIP list as a PennDOT project - the money and the ownership gets confusing when bureaucratic rights-of-way intersect and neither entity has the necessary funds to push the project pass the goal line.

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/mayor/html/stimulus_infrastructure.html

Pretty sad because the CDBG funding objectives are: for the benefit low- and moderate-income persons, for the prevention or elimination of slums or blight, or to address community development needs having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community for which other funding is not available.

Is it just me, or is that bridge ugly as sin too?

I wish the description on the designer's site

was "as seen from bridge 500 feet away"

@mwkozak it's not just you, it is shockingly ugly. In fact, it's almost impressive how inappropriate it looks.

To be devil's advocate, the upper level of this garage does have storefronts and businesses on it, the Trek store, as a matter of fact, so it's a bit unusual for a garage. And it is an attempt at public art, not just an engineering exercise.

But....

I don't know how this Grimanesa Amoros was selected, I don't mean to hammer an artists work, but this does not appear to be her best work. It is "art" tacked on to a concrete slab bridge. If she did any research into the locale, this is the city of bridges, right?, it does not show in the work. It does not seem to be particularly reflective of East Liberty, either. It looks like she took a little Frank Gehry, maybe a little Rural Studio, blended it up, viola! (sic).

Was Amoros actually the one selected? Perhaps that's just her entry in the competition linked above.

The P-G article says Sheila Klein is the artist involved...

Pseuda, you're right, my bad.

The Sheila Klein design seems to be here,

http://www.sheilaklein.com/pages/pittsburgh_photos.htm

Better.

crap, that's what I get for not paying attention.

i also forwarded that page on a list at work where it generated a similar discussion. well, everyone should be *much* happier to see the actual design now

I like that the artist has integrated a bunch of cool old Pgh crap into the design (e.g. old fencing & lights). Thanks to ADA, we should have no problem getting bikes on there. Now, if we could get Ellsworth resurfaced....

Whew. That bridge they show is hideous. The one by Klein is kind of cool.

BTW, I heard they tore down a bridge on Spahr St. when they built the busway, which makes me feel a *little* better about it.

I'd feel *much* better if it actually "reconnected neighborhoods" as opposed to leading to a (*%*%& parking garage.

If only we could get something like St. Mark's Books (NYC) to move into the Borders void...or Half Price or Powell's or....

It it is convenient for bikes, it would be great.

That bridge-> Spahr ST ->Elmer is part of a great route from East Liberty to Oakland.

On the other hand, if the bridge encourages East liberty natives to walk through the old money turf of Pembroke, Westminster and Castleman, the rich folks will get it shut down right quick. Doesn't matter how much of whose money was spent on it. Same reason there isn't a busway stop at the end of Amberson.

For pedestrians only? That bridge is a great gift to the shops on Ellsworth and maybe the EL stores within two or three blocks of that end of the bridge.

The Highland bridge, IIRC, is actually owned by Port Authority. Getting that one fixed is dependent on their obtaining capital funding. They own about five dozen street bridges that were originally built by trolley companies decades to a century ago.

That bridge will be a graffiti and vandalism magnet.

One of the delays in getting this bridge funded in the first place was the fact that it ended at a parking garage, and the determination of whether that could be considered "publicly accessible." But, it was an important design element for the continued development/promotion/support of the new development in the Baum/Center corridor. This project has been in the works for probably the better part of a decade.

@sloaps - you are right about these projects receving stimulus funding. The northside underpass lighting funding request was originally submitted by the City, on behalf of Northside residents, for Transportation Enhancement funding. That funding was insufficient to complete the job, so stimulus money was secured.

All stimulus funded projects (including the three you reference) are included in the SPC TIP.

Let's all be clear what this is about: money. And the access of those with money to the East Side development. This is simply about getting foot traffic from Shadyside (ie: affluent young professionals) to East Side. Connecting from the end of Ellsworth is about as straight a shot as you can get between the two.

The shame of where the money came from is measured in the projects which did NOT receive funding because this one did.

I don't mind this at all, the more connections the better IMO.

Correction, I am informed by Port Authority that they do not own the Highland Ave bridge, as I noted above.