Interstate 579

Interstate 579 (abbreviated I-579) is a north–south Interstate Highway entirely within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At 1.57 mi (2.53 km) long, it is short but not the shortest signed Interstate, an honor which belongs to I-375 in Michigan. I-579 is also known as the Crosstown Boulevard since it crosses the backside of Downtown Pittsburgh.

The northern terminus of I-579 is at Interstate 279 on the Veterans Bridge and the Interstate 279 Interchange, while the southern terminus splits into the Liberty Bridge and Boulevard of the Allies, which connects to eastbound Interstate 376. The intersection of I-579 and I-279 is in one direction only; northbound traffic on I-579 can proceed only northbound on I-279, while only southbound traffic on I-279 can exit onto I-579.

I-579 allows Liberty Bridge traffic easy access to I-279, and I-279 southbound traffic easier access to Consol Energy Center, downtown, and eastern regions of the city, while I-279 southbound continues to Heinz Field, PNC Park, and to westbound I-376 which leads to the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Construction on Interstate 579 was not completed until 1989, with the opening of the Veterans Bridge, and the opening of Interstate 579 was concurrent with the opening of an extension of Interstate 279 into the North Hills region of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

In the past, this was Interstate 479 and Interstate 876 prior to becoming Interstate 579.

Route description

I-579 begins at an interchange with PA 885 (Boulevard of the Allies) and the approach to the Liberty Bridge over the Monongahela River in Downtown Pittsburgh, heading to the north-northeast as a four-lane freeway. At the southern terminus, the highway has a northbound exit and southbound entrance providing access to 6th Avenue and Forbes Avenue near Duquesne University. The road passes several skyscrapers as it comes to an interchange at Centre Avenue with a northbound exit and southbound entrance that provides access to the Consol Energy Center. Immediately following is a left exit in the northbound direction and a southbound entrance that connects to 7th Avenue that serves the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. At this point, I-579 runs to the west of the Civic Arena and comes to the PA 380 interchange, a northbound exit and southbound entrance, in addition to a southbound exit and northbound entrance accessing 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue. The freeway turns north as it passes over railroad tracks to the east of Union Station, the Amtrak station serving Pittsburgh. Here, it is seven lanes total with three travel lanes in each direction and two reversible high-occupancy vehicle lanes in the center. The HOV lanes connect to Bedford Avenue near the Civic Arena at the south end. The highway turns northwest as it crosses the Allegheny River on the Veterans Bridge. A short distance after the bridge, I-579 ends at an interchange with I-279/US 19 Truck and PA 28, at which point the route merges into northbound I-279 with ramps to and from northbound PA 28.^[2]

Exit list

The entire route is in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County. All exits are unnumbered.

See also

• Interstate 283 – another short interstate in Pennsylvania.

References

External links

• Pennsylvania Highways: Interstate 579