Wightman Street, located in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, is primarily a residential street near business districts on Forbes, Murray Avenue, Schenley Park, and multiple schools in the area. Wightman St. is represented on the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure’s (DOMI) High Injury Network, identifying it as a dangerous road, particularly for vulnerable road users. In response to the crash history, DOMI will implement safety improvements at two intersections along Wightman St. at Darlington Rd. and Beacon St. in 2025.

Additionally, with the Charles Anderson and Panther Hollow Bridges currently closed for repairs, this area is experiencing increased traffic volumes.

Wightman St. at Darlington Rd:

At this intersection with minor-street stop-control on Darlington St., DOMI will install a pedestrian refuge island with bump-outs to improve sightlines, shorten crossing distances across Wightman, and slow vehicles through the intersection. This intervention will closely mimic the nearby intersection on Wightman at Bartlett St. but DOMI is exploring more robust materials that will be easier to maintain and be more effective.

The original project (installed in 2020) on Wightman at Bartlett St. with flex posts is seen here:

Wightman at Beacon St:

This intersection will receive quick-build bump outs and changes to the intersection alignment and turn lanes. These changes will increase safety by improving sightlines, slow turning movements, discourage illegal right turns on red, and protect the existing bike lanes at the intersection where cyclists are most vulnerable to crashes.

Additionally, DOMI will extend the southbound bike lane on Wightman St. which currently ends at Beacon. This uphill “climbing lane” will create safer conditions by removing the need for southbound cyclists to merge into the intersection, improving comfort for all road users by separating cyclists from other traffic. This will improve the Bike+ Network, which relies on this block of Wightman to connect existing bike lanes on Beacon and Wightman to the existing Pocusset St. shared-use path in Schenley Park. Only four legal parking spaces on Wightman’s east curb will be removed to accommodate this safety improvement.