Study explores potential changes to busy Route 51 corridor
Route 51 lacks a variety of eating establishments where families can gather and share meals, some South Hills residents agreed in a discussion last week about their use of the busy state road.
“We need more restaurants,” Merle Sharrer of Brentwood said. “We also talked about the possibility of beautifying the area. It's a mess.”
Nearly 30 South Hills residents at the July 13 community forum in Brentwood were asked about their likes, dislikes and hopes for the future of the road. They looked at maps of Route 51 from the Liberty Tunnel in Pittsburgh to the Elizabeth Bridge, and shared stories about their daily experiences on the road.
The nonprofit Economic Development South and Carnegie Mellon University are collaborating on a two-part study of the 13 1⁄2-mile stretch of Route 51 that runs through 11 municipalities or city neighborhoods. The effort began in February with a look at ways to implement “smart signalization” that could ease traffic flow.
The second part of the study will start in August and focus on economic development and environmental and design issues.
The Heinz Endowments, PennDOT and Carnegie Mellon provided a $300,000 grant for the study, which is to be completed by the end of 2015.
“We're looking to see what the future of this area should be,” said Stephen Quick, a research associate at CMU's Remaking Cities Institute who is overseeing the second half of the study. “We hope out of this to have a vision for Route 51 of what it could be.”
About 43,000 vehicles travel the section of Route 51 between the Liberty Tunnel and the Route 88 intersection, but farther south, there is less traffic, according to PennDOT figures. The stretch from Lebanon Church Road to the Westmoreland County line gets about 20,000 vehicles a day.
This study differs from nearly a dozen others done on portions of the road because it looks at Route 51 “holistically,” from the Liberty Tunnel to Jefferson Hills, Quick said.
The first half of the study crafted a model that uses an algorithm to update the timing of traffic signals, based on real-time traffic flow at 36 intersections on Route 51 and adjacent streets, said Stephen Smith, a research professor at CMU's Robotics Institute.
The hope is to make traffic flow more efficiently, not quicker, Smith said. The study created a model, but implementing changes at signals would be another process.
Community members' suggestions, as well as conversations with business owners, photographs of the area and geographic information system studies will be involved in the second part of the study, Quick said.
“We want people to start telling stories,” Robert Cavalier of CMU's Program for Deliberative Democracy said of last week's forum.
About 15 municipal leaders met earlier in the day on July 13, and agreed they want the Route 51 corridor to be safe for travelers with “green” features and improved aesthetics, along with better access to public transit and reduced traffic congestion, said Bethani Cameron, community relations manager for Pittsburgh Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak.
Cameron said she would like to see green space in the area that she could take her son to. “I want it to be a destination,” she said of the area.
Tim Hindes of South Park, who serves on the Economic Development South board, said flooding along Route 51 should be addressed.
“The No. 1 issue is the flooding. If you can't get there, then what's the point in doing anything else to improve it?” he said.
After this study is complete, there likely will be follow-up studies focusing on areas identified for future development and examining sources of funding to make improvements, Quick said.
“Change is already starting to occur,” he said.
Stephanie Hacke is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-388-5818 or shacke@tribweb.com.
