Judge pauses Pittsburgh's plans for bike lane on Strip District's Penn Avenue

A judge on Monday pushed pause on Pittsburgh’s plans to eliminate a lane of traffic on a bustling stretch of Penn Avenue through the Strip District.

Judge Alan Hertzberg granted an injunction for the Strip District Business Association, a group that sued the city earlier this month over the proposed changes.

The city’s plans would convert Penn Avenue’s two inbound lanes from 22nd to 31st streets to a single lane of traffic and add a bike lane.

Business owners argued the swap could cause traffic gridlocks and make it harder for fire trucks or ambulances to respond to emergencies.

The city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure planned to begin milling the stretch Tuesday, according to an online schedule.

Hertzberg ordered the business association pay a $112,000 bond or deposit $112,000 with the Department of Court Records as part of the injunction.

A hearing to determine whether the injunction should be continued, dissolved or modified is scheduled for Oct. 16.

Olga George, a spokeswoman for Mayor Ed Gainey, has said the Penn Avenue project is part of the city’s effort to reduce fatal crashes. There were 87 wrecks on the road between 2020 and 2024, she said.

But business owners have pushed back, claiming the change could actual hinder safety. In a letter attached to the business association’s lawsuit, Pittsburgh firefighters union president Ralph Sicuro said the reduction in roadway could “severely limit access for emergency vehicles responding to incidents along this critical corridor.”

Business owners also feared customers would be deterred if reducing a lane caused gridlock and slowdowns.

“If they make it one lane, it’s just going to choke all the business out,” Jim Coen, owner of Yinzers in the Burgh and head of the business association, told TribLive earlier this month.