Penn Hills will use $800,000 federal grant to improve sidewalks, access to Rodi Road

Rodi Road has long been the gateway off the Parkway East to Penn Hills, a 2-mile stretch that includes a shopping center, medical facilities and a mixture of apartments and single-family housing.

The two-lane thoroughfare also has its shortcomings — abandoned businesses, a checkered sidewalk system, and vacant lots waiting for development.

Municipal leaders hope that can change with the help of an $800,000 federal grant sponsored by U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall. The grant will be part of a $1 million upgrade that will include repairing or adding sidewalks where needed, adding ramps to improve accessibility, and improving lighting throughout the area.

“These funds will do a lot of good,” said Deluzio, who represents the 17th District, during a news conference Thursday at the municipal building. The improvements will ensure “everyone can get where they need to go and get there safely.”

Civic groups worked with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to create a garden along Rodi Road at Maple Lane in Penn Hills. (Ed Blazina/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Rodi Road has been a focus for Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese and civic groups in recent years, but there is a limit to what the municipality can do because it is a state road with little room for expansion. At the municipality’s urging, Duquesne Light recently checked all of the streetlights to make sure they are working properly, and the Shade Tree Commission and other groups worked with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to plant a garden at a former gas station at Maple Lane near the parkway interchange.

“That is our main corridor,” Calabrese said. “It is truly a good investment in our community. This will be walkable now. This is the future of Penn Hills.”

Calabrese said she expects better access for residents such as those who live in 95 apartments at Jefferson Manor, one block off Rodi on Jefferson Road, to lead to more development in the corridor. Municipal Manager Scott Andrejchak said new traffic lights at each end of the highway also will help pedestrians.

“It’s going to be better,” he said. “This is going to help a lot.”