On Monday, March 9th, 2026, Gulisek Construction will implement the Penn Ave Phase 2 Project detour and begin corridor reconstruction. The detour will be in place throughout construction, which is expected to take approximately two years.

Detour summary

• Westbound/Inbound traffic will be maintained on Penn Ave.
• Eastbound/Outbound through traffic will be detoured onto Main St -> Liberty Ave -> Baum Blvd -> Negley Ave -> Back onto Penn Ave
• Eastbound/Outbound traffic originating north of Penn Ave should take Broad St to Fairmount St to Penn Ave
• Eastbound/Outbound Bus traffic will be detoured onto Winebiddle St -> Friendship Ave -> Roup Ave -> Back onto Penn Ave
  • Three bus stops will be temporarily out of service between Evaline and Graham

*Detour is subject to change as conditions require.

This project, which follows Phase 1 (Mathilda Street to Evaline Street), will consist of full-depth reconstruction of all street infrastructure in the project area, including the street, curb sidewalk, ADA ramps, and traffic signals, as well as other mobility and safety improvements.

The Penn Ave Phase Two Project will continue the improvements to the Penn Ave Streetscape between the intersections of Evaline Street and Graham Street, following the Phase I streetscape improvements between Mathilda and Evaline Streets.

How long will construction take?

Approximately 2 construction seasons. One construction season is from Spring to Fall of the same year. Construction began in early 2026, and will continue through Fall of 2027.

Will there be Traffic Calming on the detour route?

The primary detour will take eastbound drivers off of Penn at Main St., direct them to Liberty Ave, Baum, and then Negley. That route will not have traffic calming added. A local detour will take eastbound bus traffic on Winebiddle, Friendship, and Roup before returning to Penn Ave. Those streets will have temporary rubber speed humps and speed tables installed prior to construction. These speed tables will be evaluated for replacement with more permanent infrastructure post-construction.

During Phase 1, and local utility work, community members raised concerns about the use of Coral St. as a wayfinding detour. To minimize traffic on Coral St. one block between S Aiken and Latham will be made one way westbound, with a contraflow bikelane, maintaining the neighborway.

Why isn't traffic calming being pre-emptively added to Dearborn or Broad St?

Eastbound traffic will be diverted off of Penn Ave while westbound traffic will remain on Penn, so we don't anticipate significant additional traffic on streets north of Penn Ave. During Phase 1, traffic impacts were almost exclusively identified south of Penn Ave.

How was this coordinated with ongoing utility work? Will there be additional work on the water lines during the project?

The City does coordinate with utilities prior to project implementation, but cannot mandate that the utilities do their work alongside City work. Performing work in the same area, at the same time, may have required longer and more complete closures than we currently expect. Neither Peoples Natural Gas nor Pittsburgh Water infrastructure is in the scope of the streetscape project and questions about water pressure and utility improvements should be directed to the utility companies.

During Phase 1, and local utility work, community members raised concerns about the use of Coral St. as a wayfinding detour. To minimize traffic on Coral St. one block between S Aiken and Latham will be made one way westbound, with a contraflow bikelane, maintaining the neighborway. This treatment, called a diverter, visually restricts the roadway with hatching to prevent cut through behavior.