Thursday, January 30, 2025, 3:54AM |  37°
MENU
Advertisement
Pedestrians cross Terrace Street, where a woman was killed this week, on the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.
2
MORE

Safety changes headed to Oakland’s Terrace Street corridor after pedestrian deaths

Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette

Safety changes headed to Oakland’s Terrace Street corridor after pedestrian deaths

Three people have been fatally hit since 2020 at Terrace Street intersections

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.

Advertisement

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.

PRT announced construction in Oakland and Uptown for next phase of rapid transit project
Adam Babetski
PRT announces construction in Oakland, Uptown for next phase of rapid transit project

"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.

Advertisement

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.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (8)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers waits on deck in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on June 6, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1
sports
The Pirates surveyed fans about their relationship with the franchise. It didn't go well
Ross Park Mall announces new retail and dining offerings in 2025.
2
business
These new retail and dining options are coming to Ross Park Mall in 2025
A view of emergency response looking from Arlington, Va., south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, across the Potomac River toward the District of Columbia, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.
3
news
Passenger jet collides with Army helicopter while landing at Reagan Washington National Airport
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick slammed Mayor Ed Gainey's refusal to cooperate with federal immigration agents in a growing battle between Republicans in Washington and local Democratic officials over President Donald Trump's hardline deportation policies.
4
news
McCormick presses Gainey to ‘follow the law’ as Trump deportation plans play out
Beatrice and Jose Tecuanhuehue, owners of Tienda Mexicana El Pastorcito in Monroeville, Taqueria el Pastorcito restaurant in New Kensington and a mobile food trailer.
5
local
'It’s scary': Uncertainty over immigration policy impacts Pittsburgh’s Hispanic food community
Pedestrians cross Terrace Street, where a woman was killed this week, on the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023.  (Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette)
Cars and pedestrians travel through the intersection of Darragh St. and Terrace St. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Oakland.  (Benjamin B. Braun/Post-Gazette)
Lucy Schaly/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST news
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story