Your Daily Guide

Filling Pittsburgh’s Trail Gaps

Pittsburgh’s riverfront trail network has come a long way from the city’s industrial past, with 35 miles of trails now running along all three rivers. But there are still some frustrating gaps where the trails don’t connect — notably between the Strip District and Lawrenceville. A new agreement between the city and freight railroad CSX could help close several of them.

• What’s changing? In the Strip, the city’s taking over more than four acres of CSX property, helping fill the missing trail connection into Lawrenceville. Along the Mon, plans include an ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge in Hazelwood, a new crossing connecting Duck Hollow and Hazelwood, and city ownership of trail property extending toward Carrie Furnace. [WESA]
• Why are railroads such a big deal here? Pittsburgh’s riverfronts were built around industry and rail. Turning that land into space for public recreation has meant negotiating through privately-owned railroad property. Friends of the Riverfront spent decades buying former CSX right-of-way to extend the trail in the early 2000s. [Friends of the Riverfront]

We’re talking more about Pittsburgh’s expanding river trails on today’s pod — including a few improvements that could finally stop making your bike ride feel like an obstacle course.

Fixing the Parkway ‘Bathtub’

PennDOT is finally giving Downtown’s notoriously flood-prone stretch of the Parkway East a makeover. Starting Thursday, the $14.3 million project will raise the existing flood wall by three to five feet, stabilize the road, and install new pumps that can be operated remotely. The tradeoff is that a westbound lane and two ramps will be closed for much of the next year, and the whole stretch will shut down for 12 days next summer. Oof! [🔒 Post-Gazette]

E-Books Are Expensive, Actually

Your Libby habit is great for your wallet but surprisingly pricey for the library. The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh says e-books account for about 30% of its checkouts but roughly half of its $6 million materials budget. It's asking RAD for a 10% funding increase for 2027 as more people use the library, hours expand, and costs continue to outpace revenue. So make sure you’re actually reading all those digital holds you place!

• More hours, more costs: Carnegie Library expanded evening hours at most branches in 2024, with help from increased RAD funding. [WESA]

Pittsburgh Loves Its Veggies

Maybe we’re more than chipped chopped ham and big meaty sandwiches with fries on top. Pittsburgh was named the 17th-best U.S. city for vegans and vegetarians in a new WalletHub study that looked at things like the affordability of a vegan or vegetarian diet and access to plant-based restaurants and groceries. [TribLive]

Baby’s First Rave?

Grab some glow sticks (and maybe some noise-canceling headphones). Australian DJ Lenny Pearce is bringing his “Toddler Rave” to Stage AE on Nov. 19. The event features nursery rhyme classics like “The Wheels on the Bus” turned into EDM tracks, complete with props, costumes, and dancing characters. It sounds like a lot of fun, but with tickets starting at $53, this toddler rave is charging grown-up concert prices! [Axios]

Let’s play a game! Where have you seen this settee?

🌟 A whole bunch of you guessed last week’s photo correctly, so hopefully this week’s is a little more difficult! If you submitted Heidelberg Materials (viewed from the Birmingham Bridge) you were correct! ⬇️

This giant pile of sand can be found at Heidelberg Materials, a cement plant by the Mon River. You can also catch a glimpse of it from the Three Rivers Heritage Trail!