🌱 Your guide to April in Pittsburgh

PennDot Announces 2024 Projects

Heads up commuters! Allegheny, Lawrence, and Beaver counties will see $483 million in construction projects in 2024. This includes ongoing work on Allegheny County sites like the Boulevard of the Allies, Neville Island, Smithfield Street, and McKees Rocks bridges.

• 🚧 New bridge projects include Charles Anderson in Oakland; Commercial Street east of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel; Birmingham in the South Side; those over the Old William Penn Highway; and demolition of one on Route 51. [PennDot]

Could A Boat Collapse a Pittsburgh Bridge?

The short answer? No. (Phew!) The Francis Scott Key in Baltimore collapsed last week after it got hit by a container ship. We’re definitely not safe from tragedies — remember the 2022 Fern Hollow collapse and our poor infrastructure report? — but it’s highly unlikely this would occur on our rivers. [City of Pittsburgh]

• 🛳️ Why? Large cargo ships don’t use Pittsburgh’s major waterways. Only barges and small boats can pass under our low bridges. There have been several incidents over the years where barges have collided with area bridges — like in Rankin in 2018 — but there hasn’t been major damage. [TribLIVE]
• ➡️ Also, the weight. Hear what I mean on the City Cast Pittsburgh podcast.

New Medical Drama Set in Pittsburgh

The new Max (HBO) medical drama, “The Pitt,” will be a “realistic examination of the challenges facing health care workers in today's America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh.” The show stars Noah Wyle from "ER” and is produced by John Wells, who graduated from CMU. [TribLIVE]

• 🎥 That’s a bummer! The Pittsburgh Film Office says it’s not expected to be filmed here. [KDKA-TV]
• 🤣 LOL! We loved reading some of Pittsburghers’ suggested storylines on Reddit — like a sinkhole bus episode, an episode where a freight train falls on a T-station, and coverage of a big hospital’s union-busting. [Reddit]
• 🎬 We want in: Megan, Mallory, and Sophia share their plot ideas on the podcast! [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

Get Your Garden Ready

Whether you need to prep your soil, buy plants, or get garden inspo, there’s an Earth Month event for you:

• 🔍 April 3-7: Free lead soil screening with Allegheny County Conservation District
• 🌼 April 9: Learn about native plants with Grow Pittsburgh
• 🌱 April 13: Dirt Day at East End Food Co-Op
• 🪴 April 14: Annual Plant Sale at WorkshopPGH
• 🌷 April 20: Spring Plant Exchange at Shenot Farm

Psst! Here are some of Pittsburgh’s best plant shops and your guide to starting a backyard garden.

Celebrate National Poetry Month

Carnegie Library has a handy list of poets whose work is informed by Pittsburgh: “Whether the influence is obvious or more subtle, the crucial worlds that they spin with their words have the power to evoke these landscapes we live in every day.”

Admire local poets or write words with rhythm at these upcoming events:

• 📓 April 2: Black Out Poetry Workshop at the Poetry Lounge
• ✏️ April 4: Writing on the Wall Workshop at the Poetry Lounge
• 📚 April 5: Pitt MFA Speakeasy at White Whale Bookstore
• 🎤 April 9: Story Club PGH Story Slam: Fight or Flight at City of Asylum
• 📖 April 15: City Books Writers In Residence: Past & Present at the Poetry Lounge
• 📝 April 23: Steel City Grand Slam at City of Asylum

Bonus! April 7-13 is National Library Week. Find activities at your local branch, plus fun free things you can get with your library card.

Spring Clean in Your Neighborhood

Celebrate Earth Day by redding up your street and community green spaces! Find a neighborhood event below, or sign up to become a CommunityCare steward with Grounded Strategies.

• 🪣 April 3 & 4: Annual What The Muck?! at Lake Elizabeth in Allegheny Commons
• 🛞 April 6 & 7: Tire cleanup in Braddock
• 🗑️ April 20: Cleanup in the South Side Flats, Brighton Heights, and Greenfield
• 🌳 April 20: Tree planting in Lawrenceville
• 🗑️ April 21: Cleanup in East Allegheny
• 🌳 April 27: Tree planting in Brighton Heights
• 🗑️ April 29: Cleanup in Dormont

Your Guide to April in Pittsburgh

From eclipse parties to plant sales to a “dessert beer extravaganza,” there’s plenty to keep you busy in Pittsburgh this month. The City Cast team is here to share the festivals, markets, and cook offs that caught our eyes – and help you plan your perfect April.