By SHANNON O. WELLS
The city of Pittsburgh has begun implementing changes to the Terrace-De Soto Street corridor on Pitt’s upper campus, including removing a crosswalk, relocating and adding a warning sign to a southbound approach stop sign, and updating pedestrian warning and parking regulation signage.
The changes, which include eliminating a legal pedestrian crossing on Terrace Street in front of the new section of Scaife Hall, come from a recently released Terrace-DeSoto street corridor pedestrian safety and traffic study commissioned by the University. The study was prompted by a string of accidents and fatalities that have plagued a five-intersection area on the upper campus in recent years.
The city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) contractors started implementing changes in the area around the Petersen Events Center, UPMC Presbyterian hospital and Scaife Hall on March 11. They include the following:
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Removing the crosswalk on Terrace Street at Sutherland Drive. In early April, DOMI said it will remove curb ramps and detectable warnings from the former crosswalk and install new features on the crosswalk pedestrians are now supposed to use at Terrace and Lothrop streets, about 25 feet away, Pittwire reported.
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Relocating the Terrace Street southbound approach stop sign from Sutherland Drive to Lothrop Street.
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Installing a “Stop Ahead” warning sign in advance of the relocated stop sign for southbound Terrace Street at Lothrop.
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Installing “All Way” stop plaques at Terrace and Lothrop streets and a “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” plaque to the Sutherland Drive stop sign at Terrace Street.
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Updating pedestrian warning signage at the Terrace Street mid-block crossing.
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Updating parking-regulation signage for Terrace Street from Sutherland Drive to De Soto Street.
“The existing configuration of the Terrace Street and Sutherland Drive/Lothrop Street intersection is confusing and disorienting. Conflicting approaches have different traffic controls which make it difficult for drivers to anticipate each other’s behaviors,” a recent DOMI statement said.
“As noted during field visits, some drivers approach this stretch of the corridor cautiously due to the confusing layout, while others speed through the intersection with little regard to the traffic control in an effort to remove themselves from the intersection as quickly as possible,” the statement said. “These driver challenges, coupled with high pedestrian activity, create an unsafe intersection.”
From 2019 to 2023, the Terrace-De Soto street corridor saw 28 crashes, seven involving pedestrians, two of which resulted in fatalities. Near-miss incidents, which often go unreported, are frequent, the safety study by Kimley-Horn Engineering consultants explained.
Developed with input from Pitt stakeholders in departments including planning, capital projects, space management, and parking/transportation, the study was based on heightened concerns regarding the safety and usability of these streets from a history of crashes and pedestrian fatalities, along with increasing development activity.
It evaluated current safety conditions to propose a range of recommendations to improve the streets’ overall functionality and accessibility.
In a statement from February, Pitt said the University “remains committed to ongoing and vital conversations to help make Oakland a safer place for pedestrians, cyclists and commuters, and we are committed to supporting initiatives that promote safety for everyone who uses Terrace Street and the surrounding area.
“We welcomed the city’s onsite review of the DeSoto/Terrace Street corridor to assess improvements of these city-owned roads.”
Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.
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