New safety changes are coming to the Terrace Street corridor in Oakland following three pedestrian deaths in the area since 2020.
The City of Pittsburgh will adjust traffic signals and implement a three-second leading pedestrian interval at the street’s intersections, which border Oakland staples such as the Peterson Events Center and UPMC Presbyterian. “No turn on red” restrictions are now in effect at the city-owned corridor.
Additionally, the city and the University of Pittsburgh plan to enhance lighting in the area, and Pitt will repaint curb and pavement markings at crosswalks and no-parking areas.
These updates were recommended by the city’s Fatal Crash Response Team, which includes the Pittsburgh Police Collision Investigation Unit. Looking ahead, the city, in collaboration with Pitt, will continue assessing the corridor’s safety.
"The university remains committed to ongoing, vital discussions and actions to help make Oakland a safer place for pedestrians, cyclists and commuters,” Pitt spokesman Jared Stonesifer said in a statement. The city did not respond to a request for comment.
The street, which spans roughly a third of a mile, is adjacent to the Peterson Events Center, UPMC Presbyterian, Pitt’s Biomedical Science Tower, Scaife Hall (home to Pitt’s School of Medicine) and Carlow University’s back entrance.
It intersects with Sutherland Drive, Lothrop Street, Darragh Street and Buffalo Street, and leads into DeSoto Street, colloquially dubbed Cardiac Hill.
Between September 2020 and December 2024, three people were struck by vehicles and killed while navigating Terrace Street.
Most recently, Jessie Maroney, a 37-year-old mother from South Park, was killed in a hit-and-run at the intersection of Terrace and Darragh streets in the early morning hours of Dec. 5, 2024. Mrs. Maroney was a Pitt employee, serving on the housekeeping staff in the Biomedical Science Tower.
A year earlier, Emily Watson, a 29-year-old UPMC employee of Pittsburgh, was fatally struck by a UPMC shuttle bus at the intersection of Terrace Street and Sutherland Drive the morning of Nov. 29, 2023.
And on the afternoon of Sept. 17 2020, retired Lt. Col. Mary “Jeanne” Flaherty, 76, of Monroeville, was hit and killed by a shuttle bus at the intersection of Terrace and Buffalo streets.
Oakland pedestrians must always be vigilant, said Pitt professor David Salcido, who serves as chair of the University Senate’s Campus Utilization, Planning and Safety Committee.
At Wednesday’s Faculty Assembly meeting, Mr. Salcido questioned how many “near misses” have occurred at Oakland intersections, and how many non-fatal accidents have happened.
“The landscape of risk to pedestrians in Oakland is dauntingly complex,” Mr. Salcido said. “...Treat every intersection like a threat to your life… Treat every sidewalk like a street.”
Pitt was awarded a contract to begin studying the city-owned Terrace Street corridor in June 2024, six months prior to Ms. Maroney’s death.
The university’s area of study spans from Terrace Street, beginning at Darragh Street, through the DeSoto Street and Fifth Avenue intersection.
DeSoto Street was the site of the May 2024 death of 51-year Aleia Lopez, who was struck by a massive metal cylinder that broke free from a Pitt building project. A mother of three, Ms. Lopez, of the North Side, was an executive assistant at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital.
University officials expect the Terrace Street study will be complete later this month. The city has reviewed preliminary findings and suggestions, Mr. Stonesifer said.
The study includes:
- Collection and analysis of data on pedestrian crossing patterns and pedestrian, bike and vehicular traffic volumes
- Assessment of pedestrian and driver visibility
- Identification of potential safety hazards and pedestrian challenges
- Assessment of existing pedestrian infrastructure and its compliance with safety standards
- Evaluation of accessible drop-off areas and curb ramps for disabled people
- Potential pedestrian safety improvements
First Published: January 16, 2025, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: January 17, 2025, 3:02 p.m.