City officials announced that the Downtown business district will be closed to most vehicular traffic during the G-20 Summit.  There will be exceptions for Downtown residents, business deliveries, hotel visitors and taxis. And Port Authority buses and light rail will have access, with restrictions.  Pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to move about as usual Downtown outside the security perimeter around the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where the summit will be held.

In the plan released by the mayor’s office this morning, permitted vehicles such as business delivery trucks will have to access Downtown via only three entrances: the Smithfield Street Bridge, Fifth Avenue at Ross Street and the Roberto Clemente Bridge.  Downtown residents who have their Downtown address on driver’s licenses will be allowed in. Taxis, hotel shuttles, ACCESS vans and mail trucks will be accommodated.  The T light-rail service will be available as far as the First Avenue station, but the three subway stations will be closed.  Buses will have Downtown access but will be detoured around the convention center.

The restrictions will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 24 and will end as soon as possible on Friday evening.  Downtown workers and shoppers are urged to park in surface lots on the fringes of Downtown, including Uptown, Station Square and the North Side.

To learn more, read the article in the Post-Gazette, look at the City’s G-20 site, or view the interactive map.