PITTSBURGH, PA (November 23, 2021) The City of Pittsburgh has been awarded a $963,578 grant from the state’s Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Multimodal Transportation Fund for the South 21st Street Complete Green Street Project in the South Side. The community-driven project would transform South 21st Street into a green boulevard and gateway from the East Carson business district corridor to South Side Park to divert stormwater and improve pedestrian safety.
The proposed South 21st Street Complete Green Street Project will incorporate a complete streets approach, a policy introduced by Mayor William Peduto in a 2015 executive order requiring that all new city street design projects make it safer for all users to travel like pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit vehicles, private vehicles and more. The proposal also includes natural and green infrastructure features to address stormwater runoff, erosion and issues of combined sewers.
The design would allow for traffic calming, pedestrian safety and green infrastructure by installing pervious pavers and pervious parking that will absorb stormwater rather than allowing it to sit atop of pavement to flood. It also includes bioswale islands in the middle of the street, as well as natural trees and grasses throughout, to capture stormwater. The larger project also calls for stormwater storage within South Side Park to reduce strain on the combined sewer system.
The project has been developed in partnership with the South Side community, City of Pittsburgh, ALCOSAN, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
