This rendering reminds me that the current plan also includes creation of a houseboat living community at the end of the Marina towards West End Bridge/downtown, what looks like larger darker boats on the far right.

This is Millcraft's most recent rendering of the Esplanade project in Chateau

https://millcraftideas.com/wp-conten...de-Dec2018.jpg.

https://i.imgur.com/ukQ4FfO.png

https://i.imgur.com/GCGu7D3.png

https://i.imgur.com/cBQMc4n.png

https://i.imgur.com/D6jjYIe.png

https://i.imgur.com/tPSpayB.png

https://i.imgur.com/nGOzCyG.png

I worked in the Cardello building for six years and am so used to the post-industrial wasteland around it that this is going to be very weird to see go up.

I just realized that Esplanade looks to me like a glitzy resort in like Cancun. Which is not a bad thing!

https://cdn-image.travelandleisure.c...NALLIN0117.jpg

What are the chances that gets built and when?

They're acting like it's a done deal - at least on the financing side - considering they're in the process of buying the land.

Looks like they hope to break ground some time in early 2021, and finish up by about 2026.

That's a hefty timeline. I hope it gets built though.

Not sure if this presentation on the Esplanande was posted here before, but it is from Spring of 2108. It is a college senior design exercise using the project. I don't believe, though, that it is based on the current design.

(It is from Pitt's Civil & Engineering Department.)

Hrrm...you can see from that how much they've already scaled back. Like, this plan had 196 condos and 601 apartment units spread across three buildings. Now they're talking about only 300 residential units in total, with one highrise for condos, and one for apartments. So the plan has dropped one apartment tower, along with the apartment units which were going to be on the outside face of the lowrise parking garage.

Nice Pitt News piece on The Oaklander, the new luxury hotel opening in Oakland. As the piece notes, Oakland was missing this sort of option. It also continues the trend of putting public spaces on a higher floor, which I like:

https://pittnews.com/article/145414/...on-to-oakland/

Two projects are slated to start on East Carson Street this spring done by the city and state to improve pedestrian safety and the street scape as well.

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/tr...s/201903030132

What would be nice is if Riverlife could making the West End Bridge renovation with pedestrian crossing a reality by the time this is completed as well. Im not sure when the bridge was built but it has to be coming up on its 100 Year anniversary by 2026. Seems like a good reason to celebrate it with a meaningful renovation.

I totally agree with you. BTW, the bridge was built 1930-1932.
If you want a taste of what the pedestrian feature will feel like I recommend heading down on Open Streets day where the West End Bridge is only open to pedestrians and bikes for a few hours. It's really cool. I think it's May 27th of this year. https://openstreetspgh.org/route/

Open streets didn't go through the Northside last year and probably won't again this year. I think it's because of the West Ohio Street bridge being closed which given the fight with the railroad, may never re-open.

Has anyone her walked across the West End Bridge on the pedestrian ramps? They're disgusting and have not been cleaned in at least a decade. As I said, I used to work at the Cardello and walked across the pedestrian part of the bridge that goes over the highway every day and had to hold my breath and dodge the human poop. I tried for years to get any government to clean it and couldn't get any action. The city insists that the state should clean it and vice-versa. I even got city council people involved and they couldn't get anything done on it either.

Ohh, interesting. I didn't realize that.

And as for the West End Bridge walkway: Eww. Didn't realize it was that bad.

So basically it will maybe get done by 2045...

Hmmmm...Sounds like a "Friends of the West End Bridge" club needs to be created to address this. They could help create awareness of the bridge significance/ history, help fundraise for the large scale project as well as some small short term improvements to the walkways and organize clean ups. I for one will happily take part and am not above shoveling up some human poop for the betterment of the bridge. Once the weather breaks ill have to check it out on my bike. I have been meaning to do so for awhile now. This Open Streets even sounds really cool. I have always loved the view from the bridge when im driving but its kind of hard to soak it all in and pay attention to the road at the same time.

I remember when they reconstructed (more like ruined) the northern end of the West End Bridge. When they made PA 65 into a highway, they have isolated Manchester from Chateau and the river. That whole area is difficult to navigate and is, in my opinion, not very pedestrian friendly. I would suggest that they eliminate the highway and somehow integrate that into a redesigned Chateau St. and Beaver Avenue. That said, I'm sure doing so would create more headaches than they'd resolve.

Given that, I would like to see how they plan on redoing Beaver Ave so that it not only is a 2-way street but can also accommodate a light rail extension.

They should rename the West End Bridge as the Meriwether Lewis Bridge in recognition of it spanning the first segment of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Lewis began in the city where he had the ships custom built and planned the Corps of Discovery expedition (Clark didn't join until they reached Indiana). The first segment of the voyage left Pittsburgh and made its first stop shortly thereafter on Brunot's Island, both of which are in view from the bridge.

Now that the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail is likely to be extended to Pittsburgh, maybe they could get some federal/NPS money to help fund the walkway on the West End Bridge if they frame it as a destination point along the historic trail.

https://www.wesa.fm/post/lewis-and-c...al-recognition