Squirrel Hill residents concerned about intersection near Fern Hollow Bridge

Some Squirrel Hill residents are petitioning Pittsburgh officials to temporarily hold off on reconfiguring a dangerous intersection in their neighborhood.

City officials, however, claim the proposed work needs to be done quickly because money for it is included in the $25.3 million of federal funding being used to pay for the reconstruction of Fern Hollow Bridge.

The intersection sits on the west side of Fern Hollow Bridge and includes Forbes Avenue, South Dallas Avenue, Beechwood Boulevard and Beacon Street. Between 2017 and 2021, about 40 crashes were reported at the intersection and three involved pedestrians, according to PennDOT statistics.

The city’s proposal shows that the new configuration of the intersection — discussed at two public meetings in Squirrel Hill — closes an entrance to Forbes Avenue from Beechwood Boulevard, bans turns in certain directions and adds traffic-calming measures and new crosswalks.

“Their quick-build project, as soon as they put it up on the screen, it was awful,” said Steve Albert, who lives on Beacon Street near the intersection. “It creates other situations for, potentially, more severe crashes.”

Albert helped circulate a petition Thursday asking city officials to conduct a traffic study after the bridge reopens and before any work is completed on the intersection. About 200 area residents signed it in the first 24 hours, Albert said.

“What [the city Department of Mobility and Infrastructure] is doing is admirable and I don’t envy them for a minute,” Albert said. “The problem is they take these ideas and try to apply them to an existing neighborhood. And the city’s not built for this.”

Maria Montano, a spokeswoman for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, told the Tribune-Review “it’s not feasible” to hold off on the work because of the reconfiguration of motor vehicle lanes traveling from the bridge westward onto Forbes Avenue.

“We know these intersections are dangerous,” Montano said. “This needs to be done.”

Montano also stressed details of the project had been shared repeatedly with community members, citing meetings in August and October in Squirrel Hill where plans were discussed.

Rebecca Elhassid lives on Beechwood Boulevard near the intersection and the Frick Environmental Center. She worries about the implications for her kids, who frequently walk in the neighborhood.

“[The new plan] is going to put a lot more traffic through the side streets and they’re not built for that,” said Elhassid, who signed the petition. “I think it’s dangerous.”

Ashley Hezel, who has lived near Albert on Beacon Street for the past five years, helped write the petition. She also worries about if the redesign further endangers children walking in the area to nearby schools such as Colfax Elementary School and Community Day School.

“We walk, we bike, we use the streets and sidewalks — and it just continually feels unsafe,” Hezel said.

Hezel said the redesign also does little to address “the most dangerous element” of the intersection, which is traffic that travels without stop signs from South Dallas Avenue up to Beacon Street.

“There’s a lack of understanding about why we need the quick-build,” she said. “I’d rather spend [federal funds] on something else that’s a long-term solution and not a quick-build.”

Albert, who is helping to circulate the petition to city officials, said DOMI is not doing enough to take residents’ concerns into consideration.

“We welcome any kind of safety improvements that will be effectual — but this is not effectual,” Albert said. “We just want them to slow down and work with us.”

Richard Feder, who co-chairs Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition’s bicycle-pedestrian committee, also has concerns.

“Why don’t you wait to see what the traffic’s going to be when the bridge opens?” he asked.

The coalition has not taken an official stance on the intersection project.

The Pittsburgh City Council post representing Squirrel Hill has been vacant since Councilman Corey O’Connor resigned in July to become the Allegheny County controller. Residents reached out to Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, who said she immediately checked on the plan with the Gainey administration.

“They assured me there was a very thorough public process that took place,” Kail-Smith said. “I’m trying to get more feedback to ensure people are comfortable. I’m trying to do what I can.”