Pittsburgh unveils new Downtown bike lane, making complete link to GAP trail

The final piece linking the Great Allegheny Passage to Point State Park is ready for bicyclists.

On Monday, the city of Pittsburgh unveiled two-way bicycle lanes in a strategic part of Downtown. Now a biker can start from the fountain at the Point and roll for more than 150 miles to Cumberland, Md., via the GAP, on a protected path.

The new street upgrades and bicycle lanes start on Stanwix Street at Third Avenue, beside PPG Place. They run to Penn Avenue, and connect to Liberty Avenue all the way to Commonwealth Place — the entrance to Point State Park.

The connection is the latest addition to Pittsburgh’s network of bicycle lanes, supervised by the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI).

“The Downtown bicycle project is another critical link in a complete network,” DOMI Director Karina Ricks said. “These new bike facilities give the people of our city the opportunity to safely access major employment and cultural areas with the affordable, sustainable and enjoyable mode of travel by bicycle.”

Officials estimated that Pittsburgh is home to approximately 1,100 bicycle commuters and said their safety — and the safety of recreational cyclists — was emphasized with this project.

The bike lane runs over two raised bus platforms, allowing transit riders access to buses without vehicles obstructing the bike track.

Other updates included in the project involved enhancing signage and pavement markings, curb and sidewalk restoration and road resurfacing.

Additional upgrades — including traffic signal updates — should be finished in November. Officials urged people to follow temporary signage until the final updates are complete.

This project has been in development since 2015, with construction beginning in June of this year.

Construction costs totaled $758,746.

DOMI collaborated with PennDOT, BikePGH, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and Friends of the Riverfront.