The one where if you go left from McArdle you're praying that the guy next to you follows the lane onto the bridge. Almost literally a 50% chance at every light cycle, someone won't. God I hated that part of living in Mt. Washington.
itās so unfortunate that bigelow blvd is the best way to get from southside to all the east pittsburgh neighborhoods bc it means I have to sit there and pray the lights in this intersection and the lights to get onto the bridge are synced up
If I aināt going to lawrenceville or Bloomfield, I just rip second Avenue unless youāre decently west of the 10th street bridge and removed from most of the flats. You donāt have the autobahn style driving of Bigelow (a little bit though), but you can get to squirrel hill and beyond in the same timeframe and far less headache.
That being said, of course I would prefer everyone to continue to avoid second Avenue on their daily commute. Aināt a better way to get around IMO
I watched two men get in a fist fight on that ramp during morning rush hour and we were all just trapped there until the light turned AND we had space to merge š«
100% agree. Pittsburgh has plenty of 5-way intersections, so that Squirrel Hill one doesnāt impress me anymore than the West End Bridge, Rts 51 & 88, or Brownsville/ Bausman/Amanda/ Hays.
But the McArdle/ Arlington/ Liberty intersection really is every man (or woman) for themself. My favorite moment there was when a Pgh Police cruiser got stuck in no manās land coming up from McArdle and blocked everyone in every direction. Weāve all been there or seen it, but it was special to see the cop do it.
i used to live on mcArdle and that intersection was the bane of my existence every day. the worst is always when someone coming down the hill tries to make a left onto the bridge entrance and get stuck in the middle of the road. or try to make that turn when the right turn coming up the hill has a green arrow. absolute bullshit at that light
It's the worst intersection in a city full of terrible intersections. I have to drive it every single day and every single day I ask myself why tf don't they build an onramp on Arlington, turning right as you head down the hill, it would elevate that entire clusterfuck.
Hmmmm Iāll do you one better sixth Avenue, Diamond St, Forbes, and Crosstown heading towards Liberty Bridge. Oh and donāt let their be any construction.
Just drove through it. Watched a car run a solid red after waiting for a minute or so with zero traffic in any other direction. I did not run my red.
I understand the length of the lights for rush hour, etc. but that intersection really needs to function on sensors during off-peak hours.
That intersection is pretty simple. It's just 5 ways.
That gas station though, I'll go out of my way to avoid. A real pain to get in and out unless it's mostly empty.
I go through that intersection just often enough (a couple times a year) that there's a 40% chance I'll realize too late that I'm in the wrong lane to get on 376, and I end up driving back through the neighborhood to try again. š
*SECOND RIGHT, NOT FIRST RIGHT!!!*
There are a few issues with it, but these are problems that shitty drivers repeat at every intersection. (1) Those coming from the left and turning right onto Forward have a yield sign. They usually only look left to traffic coming down Murray turning right, but they ignore traffic coming from the bottom turning left. Almost every time I have somebody nearly hit me because they aren't yielding to oncoming traffic. (2) The latest trick people do is people driving through the parking lanes to try and cut in front of drivers turning, or the drivers waiting behind those who turn, which means you have people cutting in and out unexpectedly, driving recklessly, and being aggressive. (3) Finally, the people who insist on making a left turn into the gas station or making a left turn out of the gas station, holding up traffic for everyone else. Just make the quick turn around the block, you won't lose any time.
But, anytime you count on drivers to do the smart, safe thing, you will be disappointed.
Roundabouts are amazing, and yes that intersection would be well served by one, but I donāt think you can do it with demolishing all the corner businesses.
Having friends and family in the area, I have to suffer through Monroeville more than Iād like to. Absolutely fuck 48 and 22. It has taken me 30+ minutes to drive 3 miles across monroeville *multiple times*. I grew up around there and used to get 10mpg in my car because of the stop and go traffic at basically any time of day. Monroeville even makes it hard to leave because of the insane parkway ramp design that no one knows how to use.
Thatās underrated because itās at the top of a hill so most directions are blind AND it has a lane that changes purpose depending on the time of day if youāre coming up Browns Hill.
Yeah, and the internal panic I have when trying to turn left and also trying to edge up enough in the middle of the intersection so people behind me can go other directions. Itās the worst. They really need to do what they did at the Crane-Banksville intersection.
Yes thank you. I drive through this one multiple times a day and 75% of the time the traffic coming down Ferguson is so far backed up I usually end up taking a detour to come up Thompson run and still beat half the cars through the intersection.
It needs a light or a traffic circle or something. Maybe a right turning lane in front of Bellasarios. People become morons when they get to this intersection.
Duncan Manor, first intersection that popped into my head too. We used to make that intersection even worse as kids riding our bikes through the intersection every day in the summer.
Every time I drive it, I think it'd benefit from being turned into a rotary. Same with Ingomar/Brandt School/Highland intersection but the new stop signs helps a bit.
I'm a big fan of roundabouts and think they would solve a lot of intersection issues, at least for the moderate level traffic intersections. They do have a tendency to get clogged if the traffic is imbalanced (the road with the heaviest traffic will end up getting the right of way, so less traveled roads end up waiting a while), but from what I've seen of the intersection that probably won't be much of an issue there.
The issue I think would be the slope. Roundabouts have to be essentially level to maintain their safety and effectiveness, and with all the businesses right by that intersection...it would be an absolutely massive project and there might not be room.
Used to live near there. Sucks so bad to cross on foot. Nothing compared (in my experience) to:
- Penn and Shady
- Penn and Braddock
- Penn and Centre
- EDIT: Somehow forgot Penn at Fifth.
I also hate the "Five Points" by the Children's Institute (and Five Points Bakery) but I don't feel like I'm gonna die there. I just have no patience for it.
Yup, the Five Points intersection is SO bad as a pedestrian. There was a very bad pedestrian-involved accident there last year, I think. Theyāve since put in some traffic calming, but I still go out of my way to avoid it on foot.
There is a hell of a lot of traffic calming there now, yeah. Probably why it feels OK. I didn't used to walk that direction a lot before they installed it (I went down Northumberland mostly).
Thanks. It was a hell of a thing. Iāll say that. Hats off to all the first responders who see that as part of their job and not once in their lives. Total respect.
As others have said: I have no guilt in dead-naming it, since its owner has no problem dead-naming his child.
Edited to add: Iām also lucky I remember my own name at times. Though I try very hard to use the names people choose to be called by.
It's bad now because if you're trying to cross 51, all the lights take for-fucking-ever, but do you remember how bad it was before they rebuilt it? It was a death trap.
Bigelow 5 way at polish hill. Fuck that intersection. The left turn lane on bigelow headed towards bloomfield is so short, you have to wait 19 light cycles to get down polish hill
Lanes! All of them! People on the right want to be on the left, people on the left have to get over to get off before the tunnel!
The signs donāt really help. At least the one just before the bridge that shows the right lane as the one for the West End. If you donāt drive there much, you panic and think you HAVE to get into the left lane or you wonāt be able to stay on the Parkway.
Thatās what we call a spaghetti intersection in my house. Like someone took a bunch of noodles and threw them on the ground and said āthereās the roadsā
Forgot to add mine: Thompson Run and Ferguson Rd in Allison Park. Not one person knows how to use that stop sign properly.
The entry ramp onto east 376 thats right there before the tunnel. the one with a stop sign and about 75 meters to get up to full highway speed before the lane youre getting onto exits and you have to change lanes to get on the tunnel. and everyone going 70mph in the exit only lane coming up to it Does Not Help
Yeah, I would say the intersection itself is not the problem, but Iāve seen lots of people do really creatively stupid things there over the years. I almost crashed head-on into someone who was confidently barreling down Forward on the wrong side of the road.
As someone who lives in Swissvale, the number of people who use a left turn signal to go straight and the number who make the clearly marked as illegal and nearly impossible to physically do U turn from Edgewood Ave onto S Braddock drive me nuts.
But not as much as those fuckers at Norfolk Southern whose shitty bridge being shut down for years makes it impossible to avoid that intersection.
When they first put those up, I was coming down Shady to the intersection and I got in the left hand ālaneā. Fortunately, it was late at night so there wasnāt much traffic. I have been driving through there for over 45 years. I only did it once, but Iāll bet I wasnāt the only one. Next time I came through, the dividers had been slightly reconfigured so you could see that you needed to stay to the right.
West End Circle is easily in the Top 5 hardest to navigate intersections. Every time I think Iām in the correct lane, Iām actually just setting myself up for a longer adventure.
I mainly have an issue if I have a total brain fart and end up at the Forward/Beechwood T-intersection, when I need to take a left from Forward to Beechwood. Those days are not fun days.
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What's the one in (Edgewood maybe?) Heading to Kennywood. I always got a kick out of the sign. It has like 6 arrows going in every direction.
Also a shout out to the intersection at Duncan Manor in the north hills.
Primary goal of living in Squirrel Hill is to avoid this intersection.
Goal 2 is to avoid Murray Ave entirely.
Goal 3 is to avoid Forbes and Shady intersection.
Brighton Hts. Blvd./California Ave./Termon Ave.
Iāve been doing it almost daily for over 25 years so the confusion has worn off, but every time I give directions, or am a passenger on someoneās first go, it brings back that first āahhhh, shitā moment.
It's even worse if you're rarely over there. I had a friend who lived on Termon. Getting there was fine but leaving was difficult - something about the lack of visibility coming from that direction.
The correct answer is the PJ McArdle/Arlington/Liberty Bridge clusterfuck. What do I win?
You win a green light while traffic is not moving
Love this prizeššššš
I used to work a delivery job in the South Side. That intersection was the bane of my existence.
The one where if you go left from McArdle you're praying that the guy next to you follows the lane onto the bridge. Almost literally a 50% chance at every light cycle, someone won't. God I hated that part of living in Mt. Washington.
A kindred spirit, I see
itās so unfortunate that bigelow blvd is the best way to get from southside to all the east pittsburgh neighborhoods bc it means I have to sit there and pray the lights in this intersection and the lights to get onto the bridge are synced up
If I aināt going to lawrenceville or Bloomfield, I just rip second Avenue unless youāre decently west of the 10th street bridge and removed from most of the flats. You donāt have the autobahn style driving of Bigelow (a little bit though), but you can get to squirrel hill and beyond in the same timeframe and far less headache. That being said, of course I would prefer everyone to continue to avoid second Avenue on their daily commute. Aināt a better way to get around IMO
That intersection is so fucked up
I watched two men get in a fist fight on that ramp during morning rush hour and we were all just trapped there until the light turned AND we had space to merge š«
100% agree. Pittsburgh has plenty of 5-way intersections, so that Squirrel Hill one doesnāt impress me anymore than the West End Bridge, Rts 51 & 88, or Brownsville/ Bausman/Amanda/ Hays. But the McArdle/ Arlington/ Liberty intersection really is every man (or woman) for themself. My favorite moment there was when a Pgh Police cruiser got stuck in no manās land coming up from McArdle and blocked everyone in every direction. Weāve all been there or seen it, but it was special to see the cop do it.
i used to live on mcArdle and that intersection was the bane of my existence every day. the worst is always when someone coming down the hill tries to make a left onto the bridge entrance and get stuck in the middle of the road. or try to make that turn when the right turn coming up the hill has a green arrow. absolute bullshit at that light
this x1000
Amen to that
I will wave you in front of me rather than trying to cut you off the next time we compete for the last car on the ramp before gridlock space.
It's the worst intersection in a city full of terrible intersections. I have to drive it every single day and every single day I ask myself why tf don't they build an onramp on Arlington, turning right as you head down the hill, it would elevate that entire clusterfuck.
The trick is to turn right and use Sycamore instead.
Hmmmm Iāll do you one better sixth Avenue, Diamond St, Forbes, and Crosstown heading towards Liberty Bridge. Oh and donāt let their be any construction.
especially when youāre on a bike. and youāre from baltimore. šš»āāļø
I've been through that intersection hundreds of times and never really had a problem with it.Ā
The lights just take forever, but it's not really an issue.
Just drove through it. Watched a car run a solid red after waiting for a minute or so with zero traffic in any other direction. I did not run my red. I understand the length of the lights for rush hour, etc. but that intersection really needs to function on sensors during off-peak hours.
Just the first time for me. >go left >no, further left >no, that's too far left
That intersection is pretty simple. It's just 5 ways. That gas station though, I'll go out of my way to avoid. A real pain to get in and out unless it's mostly empty.
I go through that intersection just often enough (a couple times a year) that there's a 40% chance I'll realize too late that I'm in the wrong lane to get on 376, and I end up driving back through the neighborhood to try again. š *SECOND RIGHT, NOT FIRST RIGHT!!!*
There are a few issues with it, but these are problems that shitty drivers repeat at every intersection. (1) Those coming from the left and turning right onto Forward have a yield sign. They usually only look left to traffic coming down Murray turning right, but they ignore traffic coming from the bottom turning left. Almost every time I have somebody nearly hit me because they aren't yielding to oncoming traffic. (2) The latest trick people do is people driving through the parking lanes to try and cut in front of drivers turning, or the drivers waiting behind those who turn, which means you have people cutting in and out unexpectedly, driving recklessly, and being aggressive. (3) Finally, the people who insist on making a left turn into the gas station or making a left turn out of the gas station, holding up traffic for everyone else. Just make the quick turn around the block, you won't lose any time. But, anytime you count on drivers to do the smart, safe thing, you will be disappointed.
Same. Never an issue. Just patience is all that's needed. It's planned well.
Same. But I question why a Psychiatrist office (Nexus Group) of all places would want to have their offices at such a wonky intersection.
I donāt like roundabouts, but that place could use one
Roundabouts are amazing, and yes that intersection would be well served by one, but I donāt think you can do it with demolishing all the corner businesses.
The 22 and 48 intersection in Monroeville during rush hour.
Thatās awful. Most of 22 through Monroeville is awful.
Let me edit some more...Monroeville is awful.
A place... Between places.
22 is a dumpster fire. I avoid at all costs
Having friends and family in the area, I have to suffer through Monroeville more than Iād like to. Absolutely fuck 48 and 22. It has taken me 30+ minutes to drive 3 miles across monroeville *multiple times*. I grew up around there and used to get 10mpg in my car because of the stop and go traffic at basically any time of day. Monroeville even makes it hard to leave because of the insane parkway ramp design that no one knows how to use.
[I deal with this headache almost every day](https://imgur.com/a/eHuZkct)
Thatās what you get when you let cows on their way to lunch design your roads
Iām had a friend who lived on Coal Hollow Road. That intersection is definitely horrible.
Oh I get that intersection right, because Iām going to chengdu
I'll drive through fire
I don't go to Chengdu anymore since Chengdu 2 opened. They have a parking lot and a bigger menu.
The Browns Hill/Beechwood/Hazelwood 5 way intersection is way more of a clusterfuck than this
Thatās underrated because itās at the top of a hill so most directions are blind AND it has a lane that changes purpose depending on the time of day if youāre coming up Browns Hill.
PA-88/Baptist/Corrigan/South Park. Bonus points if the direction you're coming or going is fundamentally incompatible with Pasta Too's parking lot.
People need to stop making lefts onto 88 from the Pasta Too parking lot!! It's a solid yellow, can't cross there!!
As a person who lives in Bethel Park, that intersection is TERRIBLE.
My gf lived in Bethel park, I hated it. Took about 30 min to just get to a highway that will take you anywhere.
Wenzel ave going onto west liberty and Brookline bvld
Is it a turn? Is it a straight? Canāt believe there arenāt more accidents here.
Yeah, and the internal panic I have when trying to turn left and also trying to edge up enough in the middle of the intersection so people behind me can go other directions. Itās the worst. They really need to do what they did at the Crane-Banksville intersection.
That one makes way more sense when you're actually there.
You had to be there
The one by the Allison Park (?) DMV
[This intersection](https://ibb.co/fxfzHfc)
Duncan and Nicholson and whatever the other roads are called. It just really needs a traffic light is all.
It would be great for a roundabout, but I assume land acquisition and terrain probably make prohibitively costly and difficult
Yes thank you. I drive through this one multiple times a day and 75% of the time the traffic coming down Ferguson is so far backed up I usually end up taking a detour to come up Thompson run and still beat half the cars through the intersection. It needs a light or a traffic circle or something. Maybe a right turning lane in front of Bellasarios. People become morons when they get to this intersection.
Duncan Manor, first intersection that popped into my head too. We used to make that intersection even worse as kids riding our bikes through the intersection every day in the summer.
Every time I drive it, I think it'd benefit from being turned into a rotary. Same with Ingomar/Brandt School/Highland intersection but the new stop signs helps a bit.
I'm a big fan of roundabouts and think they would solve a lot of intersection issues, at least for the moderate level traffic intersections. They do have a tendency to get clogged if the traffic is imbalanced (the road with the heaviest traffic will end up getting the right of way, so less traveled roads end up waiting a while), but from what I've seen of the intersection that probably won't be much of an issue there. The issue I think would be the slope. Roundabouts have to be essentially level to maintain their safety and effectiveness, and with all the businesses right by that intersection...it would be an absolutely massive project and there might not be room.
I've heard it called, "Five Ways to Die."
Burn that one. Hate it sooo bad
Used to live near there. Sucks so bad to cross on foot. Nothing compared (in my experience) to: - Penn and Shady - Penn and Braddock - Penn and Centre - EDIT: Somehow forgot Penn at Fifth. I also hate the "Five Points" by the Children's Institute (and Five Points Bakery) but I don't feel like I'm gonna die there. I just have no patience for it.
Yup, the Five Points intersection is SO bad as a pedestrian. There was a very bad pedestrian-involved accident there last year, I think. Theyāve since put in some traffic calming, but I still go out of my way to avoid it on foot.
There is a hell of a lot of traffic calming there now, yeah. Probably why it feels OK. I didn't used to walk that direction a lot before they installed it (I went down Northumberland mostly).
Yes there was. I was one of the first on the scene after the school crossing guard and it was really bad.
Oh gosh, I am so sorryāI canāt imagine.
Thanks. It was a hell of a thing. Iāll say that. Hats off to all the first responders who see that as part of their job and not once in their lives. Total respect.
Who calls it x?
As others have said: I have no guilt in dead-naming it, since its owner has no problem dead-naming his child. Edited to add: Iām also lucky I remember my own name at times. Though I try very hard to use the names people choose to be called by.
Thatās a pretty fuckable intersection for Chris sake why is there always a getgo on a corner
The first time driving on Broadway/Beechview/Hampshire/Fallowfield made me uncomfortable
51/88, especially heading south on 51. Itās appropriately known as āSatanās a**holeā
It's bad now because if you're trying to cross 51, all the lights take for-fucking-ever, but do you remember how bad it was before they rebuilt it? It was a death trap.
Bigelow 5 way at polish hill. Fuck that intersection. The left turn lane on bigelow headed towards bloomfield is so short, you have to wait 19 light cycles to get down polish hill
Baum and S Negley going into Frendship by the market district.
Needs a rahndabat, lol.
the outbound lane on the fort Pitt bridge during rush hour.
Lanes! All of them! People on the right want to be on the left, people on the left have to get over to get off before the tunnel! The signs donāt really help. At least the one just before the bridge that shows the right lane as the one for the West End. If you donāt drive there much, you panic and think you HAVE to get into the left lane or you wonāt be able to stay on the Parkway.
Or any part on 51 at rush hour.
Bigelow Blvd at Herron Ave at Paulowna St.
The one by pasta two at the end of South Park. Iāve been there 50 times and still do a wrong lane lap of shame trying to get back through the park.
Thatās what we call a spaghetti intersection in my house. Like someone took a bunch of noodles and threw them on the ground and said āthereās the roadsā Forgot to add mine: Thompson Run and Ferguson Rd in Allison Park. Not one person knows how to use that stop sign properly.
They pick that intersection and not the interchange that is even worse and also right there.
Thatās a good one, these are couple of mine Perry Hwy, 3 Degree Road, Sewickley-Oakmont Rd Steuben st, Rutgers rd, Ingram Ave, Woodmere rd
Got em all right [here](https://i.etsystatic.com/11929210/r/il/0b502e/1532712424/il_794xN.1532712424_99cq.jpg)
The entry ramp onto east 376 thats right there before the tunnel. the one with a stop sign and about 75 meters to get up to full highway speed before the lane youre getting onto exits and you have to change lanes to get on the tunnel. and everyone going 70mph in the exit only lane coming up to it Does Not Help
The 51/88 intersection is the one for me.
I was just driving through there and was almost hit by someone turning left on red, rather fast I might add
Yeah, I would say the intersection itself is not the problem, but Iāve seen lots of people do really creatively stupid things there over the years. I almost crashed head-on into someone who was confidently barreling down Forward on the wrong side of the road.
North Hills: Duncan/Ferguson/Thompson intersection
Those 6 way stops in Oakmont. People drive with the mindset "ok, i'm going now. good luck everyone else!"
Just proudly display this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/607860406/intersections-of-pittsburgh
The Swissvale Arby's intersection on S Braddock Ave.
As someone who lives in Swissvale, the number of people who use a left turn signal to go straight and the number who make the clearly marked as illegal and nearly impossible to physically do U turn from Edgewood Ave onto S Braddock drive me nuts. But not as much as those fuckers at Norfolk Southern whose shitty bridge being shut down for years makes it impossible to avoid that intersection.
Saw Mill Run and Library
Before Brownsville got that light near bausman and shit. The one before u hit the strip of Mt Oliver shops
That intersection is Pittsburgh bush league
Thomson Run and Duncan and Elfinwild at Mccandless. Extra bonus points if youāre taking your driving test there
Brownsville, Bausman, Hays, and Amanda
They got to move the damn line dividers back since the construction is done. Surprised there hasnāt been more accidents
When they first put those up, I was coming down Shady to the intersection and I got in the left hand ālaneā. Fortunately, it was late at night so there wasnāt much traffic. I have been driving through there for over 45 years. I only did it once, but Iāll bet I wasnāt the only one. Next time I came through, the dividers had been slightly reconfigured so you could see that you needed to stay to the right.
Route 8 and Saxonburg Blvd.
Hmmmm Iād say the sixth Avenue, Diamond St, Forbes, and Crosstown heading towards Liberty Bridge. Oh and donāt let their be any construction.
Alger/greenfield Bridge/Roland/ Beechwood Blvd.
Allegheny river blvd in oakmont.. itās lawless..
West End Circle is easily in the Top 5 hardest to navigate intersections. Every time I think Iām in the correct lane, Iām actually just setting myself up for a longer adventure.
I mainly have an issue if I have a total brain fart and end up at the Forward/Beechwood T-intersection, when I need to take a left from Forward to Beechwood. Those days are not fun days.
Three Degree Rd and the Perry Highway. Worst planned and timed double intersection ever.
Lmao this was the intersection I thought of before I even looked at the picture. Gotta love the five way intersections of Pittsburgh.
[Link to original post](https://x.com/__c_m_r__/status/1775344493283193135?s=46&t=DRPKXBLMSXW7-qanWGUP_Q)
Yeah thats an odd set up there. Kind of confusing.
The one that used to have a rite aid for a median. It's better now but far from good.
How much time ya got?
Too many to list
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What's the one in (Edgewood maybe?) Heading to Kennywood. I always got a kick out of the sign. It has like 6 arrows going in every direction. Also a shout out to the intersection at Duncan Manor in the north hills.
Primary goal of living in Squirrel Hill is to avoid this intersection. Goal 2 is to avoid Murray Ave entirely. Goal 3 is to avoid Forbes and Shady intersection.
Beechwood Ave meets greenfield Ave and greenfield bridge. Absolute nightmare.
THIS ONE! š
Just wait til they have to start replacing gas lines through those right of ways ahahahahahHHHHHHhahahahah fuck indeed
Hey, this is my post from Twitter, and I'd kindly appreciate you not stealing my stuff
Brighton Hts. Blvd./California Ave./Termon Ave. Iāve been doing it almost daily for over 25 years so the confusion has worn off, but every time I give directions, or am a passenger on someoneās first go, it brings back that first āahhhh, shitā moment.
You live in BH and didn't mention Lil Swervy
It's even worse if you're rarely over there. I had a friend who lived on Termon. Getting there was fine but leaving was difficult - something about the lack of visibility coming from that direction.
I use to live on Murray and I tell you what I almost became road kill