This isn’t a one-time thing. Trucks have been wedging themselves onto the Stanwix Street ramp to Parkway East for years — snarling morning rush hour traffic on Route 65, Route 28, and the Parkway North every time it happens.
“It seems like it happens every couple of weeks or every couple of months, at least,” said Jan Raether of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure.
Why It Keeps Happening
PennDOT studied the turn geometry and found that trucks over 45 feet long physically cannot make the turn successfully — yet many drivers keep trying.
PennDOT Traffic Engineer Stephanie Zolnak says new signage was put up late last year — but enforcement is the real challenge. “You’re dependent on truck drivers seeing the signs and obeying them,” she said.
There is an alternate route: the Grant Street on-ramp to eastbound Parkway East (Route 376) is wider and built to handle long-haul trucks. Officials say that’s where trucks should be going — full stop.
Drivers who ignore the signs and get caught — either stuck on the barrier or by police — now face a $150 fine. The city says it’s reviewing whether more signage is needed while PennDOT monitors whether the current signs are making a dent.
Bottom line: Officials are aware of the problem and working on it — but for now, if you see a truck on Stanwix Street heading for that ramp, brace yourself.
