Dilapidated Downtown Pittsburgh Street To Get Major Makeover

PITTSBURGH, PA — Downtown's Smithfield Street long has been criticized as being an unsafe haven overrun by the homeless and subject to frequent criminal activity.

The city is hoping to change that image with a project that will see a complete reconstruction of one of Downtown's most prominent streets. Bidding is about to go out for the project's first phase, which will focus on the portion of Smithfield between Forbes and Sixth avenues.

Upgrades include complete reconstruction of the roadway, extended sidewalks, new curbs, pedestrian safety bump outs, signage, pavement markings, street landscaping and infrastructure for artistic lighting. The street infrastructure improvements will promote pedestrian safety as well as provide the potential for new activation opportunities like outdoor dining.

“To have a more vibrant Downtown, we have to invest in opportunities on our main streets,” Mayor Corey O’Connor said in a statement.

“Smithfield is an important corridor for transit, shopping and culture and it should be safe for pedestrians and vehicles. This project will help create new opportunities to draw people and families to Downtown, like the outdoor dining we'd like to see on Smithfield and in Mellon Square."

The project is being planned and managed in partnership between the city Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, PennDOT and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership with funding through the City of Pittsburgh and the Federal Highway Administration.

Phase one construction is expected to begin in the summer, take between 18-24 months to complete and set the standard for future phases of upgrades on Smithfield.

“Transformation is underway across Downtown, and Smithfield Street is a critical connector linking river to river and tying together key destinations,” said Jeremy Waldrup, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

"When complete, this transformation of the street will set the stage for new investment on and around Smithfield Street – an opportunity to breathe new life into some of Downtown’s most prominent and historic buildings and storefronts.”

The opportunity to bid on the first phase of the project will be posted on PennDOT’s Engineering and Construction Management System.