Do you have a hard time finding your way to prominent spots Downtown? Tired of having to rely on your phone just to walk a few feet to where you want to go? A new sign has got you covered.
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (PDP), along with community leaders in Downtown, revealed a new wayfinding sign at the corner of Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street on March 11. Part of an ongoing project the PDP calls the “Pedestrian Wayfinding System,” the new sign is meant to help people walking Downtown know how to get to important places in the Golden Triangle.
In terms of funding, the city of Pittsburgh, PennDOT and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission were a few of several groups to fund the project. Additionally, private and philanthropic funding towards the project came from groups such as the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the Heinz History Center and Point Park University.
A correlation between funding the project and being listed as a location on the first wayfinding sign does not appear to exist. It is unclear how much funding Point Park gave toward the project.
Like many new developments and announcements in Downtown, the new sign is another project to get the area ready for the NFL Draft in 2026. Mayor Ed Gainey praised the sign, saying that it will be yet another way to show what the future of Pittsburgh will look like.
“It’ll be the first time that we will ever have this level of a global audience to showcase turning from a Steel City to a technology one,” Gainey said.
While the sign itself is new, the effort to create a pedestrian wayfinding system is not. The PDP has planned for wayfinding signs since 2014, securing funding and planning out the sign’s location in the interim. The wayfinding sign revealed on March 11 is just a prototype and adjustments may be made if needed, according to the PDP.
Lou Corsaro, assistant vice president of public relations, praised the wayfinding system as yet another tool in making Downtown more accessible and, quite literally, putting Point Park on the map.
“We are, as always, proud to be part of the fabric of Downtown Pittsburgh, and grateful that our partners at the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership recognize our place and value in the neighborhood,” Corsaro said. “Their wayfinding system is an important step in continuing to improve the walkability of Downtown Pittsburgh.”
The wayfinding system will not be exclusive to just Downtown, though. According to Jeremy Waldrup, PDP president and CEO, signs just like the one at Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street will soon go up in parts of the Northside as well as in Oakland. These signs are expected to be complete anytime between April to July of 2025.
While it is unclear how much total funding the project received from philanthropic donors and private contributions, the new pedestrian wayfinding sign project got $1.4 million from a state grant.
Once the project is complete, the PDP says 129 total signs will be installed throughout the city – 31 kiosks and 98 directional signs. The signs will look closer to bus stop signs than a full kiosk on the sidewalk.
As for Downtown, the PDP plans for 13 more kiosks like the one unveiled and 56 directional signs. There are two signs planned for Point Park’s campus near Village Park, and two signs will also be at the corner of the Boulevard of the Allies and Smithfield Street.
