Rialto Street — one of the primary routes to and from Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood — will close between Ley Street and Route 28 for up to 2 months beginning next Monday to accommodate a construction project.
Workers will complete scheduled repairs of the Lowrie Street Bridge, which passes over Rialto.
Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure said in a release that the bridge’s supporting abutments were in “poor” condition. The city already replaced the bridge’s concrete superstructure in 2021.
Workers will clean and repair the abutments and replace the bridge’s deteriorating stones with locally quarried sandstone.
Drivers can follow a posted detour via Chestnut Street and Troy Hill Road, which connects to the East Allegheny neighborhood.
Rialto Street will remain open to pedestrians, and the Lowrie Street Bridge itself will remain open to both vehicles and pedestrians, said Molly Onufer, a city spokeswoman.
Rialto Street is one of the steepest roads in Pittsburgh, rising at a 25% grade alongside around 170 pedestrian steps. It regularly closes during icy conditions in the winter.
The street primarily serves residences, as well as a few dining establishments, a hair salon and the Troy Hill Art Houses, a collection of four fully-immersive art installations.
Troy Hill Art Houses tour guide Michael Gregory did not believe the impending Rialto Street closure would affect tours at the installations, which are available by appointment only. He anticipated customers taking the city’s recommended detour instead.
“Most likely, people would be getting to us maybe a little bit late,” he said.