• Need to create east-west bicycle connections between Fifth/Forbes Avenue in Central Oakland to connect to West Oakland and to the University of Pittsburgh and to bicycle improvements planned for O’Hara Street.
• Cyclists have raised concerns about gaps in the bike network and how the existing bike network forces them to take circuitous travel routes to reach their destinations.
• There are many cyclists who access facilities at University of Pittsburgh’s campus on O’Hara Street.

Two different alternatives are proposed for a potential bicycle connection between Central Oakland and Pitt’s campus. These alternatives will need to be re-evaluated and the surrounding traffic and loading patterns analyzed after redevelopment of the UPMC bed tower at Fifth Ave and DeSoto is completed in a few years. Each alternative provides varying pros and cons in terms of connectivity, facility comfort, and impacts to vehicular travel and loading.

Outreach and coordination with stakeholders along Bouquet Street or De Soto Street is critical to successful completion of this project. Engagement with area businesses and residents, the West Oakland Neighborhood Council, and students is also important.

Alternative #1 – Bouquet Street

Alternative #1 proposes standard 5-foot bike lanes on Bouquet Street between Forbes Avenue and O’Hara Street. A parking separated bike lane with a 3-foot buffer and flexible delineator posts is proposed for the westbound (uphill) direction to accommodate for slower biking speeds due to the incline. A standard 5-foot curbside bike lane is proposed for the eastbound (downhill) direction. These bike lanes would connect to the proposed shared-use path on Fifth Avenue and the existing bike lanes on O’Hara Street, which are currently slated to be reconstructed as separated bike lanes by Pitt. The proposed design on Bouquet Street includes the removal of curbside parking on the south side of the street. The proposed bike lanes would provide a safer and more comfortable connection for people to bike between the University of Pittsburgh/West Oakland and Fifth Avenue and Forbes Avenue, which are important north-south corridors throughout Greater Oakland.

Future Considerations:

• Coordination with University of Pittsburgh would be critical given the proposed route goes through campus and the stretch of Bouquet Street between Fifth and O’Hara is owned by the university.
• The University anticipates Bouquet Street will be heavily congested due to road closure on De Soto Street during construction of the UPMC bed tower; no changes to Bouquet Street should be considered until construction is complete.
• Using Bouquet would allow cyclists to travel along a consistent route in the bike network with less circuitous detours, as there is already an existing Bouquet Street bicycle route between Joncaire Street and Forbes Ave. This may become additionally relevant in the future if the Bouquet Street bicycle route were linked to a shared use path/trail to Panther Hollow via Joncaire St.
• The bicycle lane design would need to accommodate the presence of Pittsburgh Public School buses that stage and park on Bouquet Street, as well as University of Pittsburgh loading dock activity on Bouquet.
• Loss of street parking would need to be considered relative to other parking losses on Pitt’s campus as part of ongoing redevelopment and capital projects.

Alternative #2 – De Soto Street

Alternative #2 proposes a 9-foot two-way cycle track on De Soto Street between Fifth Avenue and the end of De Soto Street at Terrace Street. This alternative would connect to the proposed shared use path on Fifth Avenue and the existing bike lanes on O’Hara Street, which are currently slated to be reconstructed as separated bike lanes by Pitt. The two-way cycle track is proposed along the north side of De Soto Street to avoid conflicts with the UPMC ER access driveway on the south side. The proposed design includes the removal of curbside parking on the eastbound side of the street.

Future Considerations:

• The bicycle facility would not be installed until after construction of the UPMC bed tower at Fifth Avenue and De Soto Street is complete.
• The De Soto Street option provides a more direct bicycle connection to the center of Pitt’s campus including the Petersen Events Center. The two-way cycle track provides greater separation between bicycles and vehicles for both directions.
• De Soto would likely require greater level of design coordination to link the proposed bike connection to the future enhanced bike lanes on O’Hara.
• Additional coordination will be needed to accommodate the emergency vehicle access to UPMC on the south side of the street.
• Loss of street parking would need to be considered relative to other parking losses on Pitt’s campus as part of ongoing redevelopment and capital projects.

When to start: 5-10 years

Duration: 1 year

Estimated costs: $ (out of $$$$)

Project lead(s): DOMI, University of Pittsburgh

Project partner(s): OPDC, OBID, PAAC, Bike Pittsburgh

Potential funding source(s): City Capital Budget, University of Pittsburgh, grants (e.g. multimodal funding with State DCED, CMAQ, TAP, federal Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, etc.)