NFL Draft traffic will affect Oakland, transportation experts say

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to flood Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft this week, and Oakland’s roadways are expected to be congested. 

The NFL Draft will take place in Downtown and the North Shore from April 23 through April 25, expecting to draw anywhere from 500,000 to 700,000 people. Transportation officials and experts said Oakland could see more road congestion during draft weekend and advised attendees to use public transportation instead of driving.

Mavis Rainey, executive director of Oakland Transportation Management Association, said OTMA anticipates all transportation corridors going in and out of Oakland, like Fifth Avenue, Forbes Avenue, Boulevard of the Allies and Bigelow Boulevard, will see increased traffic throughout the three days of the draft. Rainey also expects the area where Second Avenue and Bates Street intersect to have more traffic.

“We anticipate a lot of our transportation arterials are going to see an increase in traffic,” Rainey said. 

Rainey said she believes Oakland will be a location that Visit Pittsburgh encourages draft attendees to explore, potentially causing more traffic in the area.

“We anticipate there’s going to be encouragement for folks to come to the University’s campus in Oakland, explore the different amenities, certainly the [Petersen Events Center], the Cathedral, all the destinations that we have to offer, so we’re definitely going to see an increase in traffic,” Rainey said. 

Mark Magalotti, research professor of civil and environmental engineering who studies transportation planning and traffic engineering, said he does not think Oakland’s roadways will be greatly impacted by the draft, believing attendees will primarily use I-376 Parkway East rather than driving through Oakland. 

However, Magalotti added that the interstate will likely get blocked at certain points, causing drivers’ GPS systems to provide them with alternate routes, which could take them through Oakland.

“The biggest choke point on the Parkway East is the Squirrel Hill tunnel, and traffic entering the tunnel going westbound will definitely get backed up. Then it will also start to be delayed around Downtown, where the ramps are to get off the highway, so Oakland could have some secondary impacts,” Magalotti said.

For attendees driving through Oakland, Magalotti said, the Fifth Avenue construction caused by the ongoing bus rapid transit project may create more congestion problems during the draft.

“For construction where they’re permanently closing lanes, like they are in Oakland, where they’re building the bus rapid transit stations, there’s really nothing they can do about that because that type of construction will have to go on,” Magalotti said.

OTMA has a Construction Resource Map showing transportation, transit, utility, institutional and private development construction projects that may impact travel in and around Oakland.

Sean Qian, civil and environmental engineering professor and director of the Mobility Data Analytics Center at Carnegie Mellon University, agreed that Parkway East and bridges and tunnels connecting Downtown and the North Shore may be jammed, but added it’s difficult to foresee exactly how traffic will look.

“I think it’s just making assumptions that people are driving their own private vehicles, and only a small fraction of people are likely to take buses,” Qian said. “It really depends on human behavior.”

Ramin Shabanpour, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Pitt, said he can “imagine” a huge increase in traffic made worse near bridges and tunnels, which could lead to more traffic accidents, though it’s challenging to make exact predictions.

Shabanpour added that if a bridge or tunnel gets blocked due to traffic accidents, the rest of the road infrastructure could face ripple effects. 

“Each one of them can be a bottleneck for the network,” Shabanpour said. “If you have an integrated, connected grid-like network — if you miss a link — there will be a lot of reroutes for that. If you, for any reason, lose a bridge or tunnel, it will be a disaster. But I know that the city and state are doing their best to manage both the supply and demand for that period.”

Shabanpour also expects a big increase in traffic in Oakland because of the University and its high population of students, making it a “major hub.”

“In addition, we have a lot of good attraction points. We have a lot of bars and restaurants and a lively neighborhood around here,” Shabanpour said.

Magalotti suggests using public transportation, partly because it has its own roads, like the East Busway and light rail system, which may not contribute to congestion as much as private vehicles. 

“The biggest way to alleviate congestion is to encourage more people to use public transit, because Pittsburgh does have a pretty good public transit system as compared to other cities of about the same size,” Magalotti said.

Qian said rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft could significantly contribute to congestion, especially when a large number of draft attendees call for rideshares at similar times. 

“At the same time, there are drivers that may have to come all the way from some other area like Oakland to come to get you, there’s some deadhead driving which adds additional congestion, and also the price might be skyrocketing because some of the drivers might wait to see, ‘What is the most profitable trip that I want to take?” Qian said.

Darren Weben, an Uber driver in Pittsburgh, said he expects the city to be “stupidly packed” throughout the weekend, with major traffic disruptions limiting where drivers can operate. Weben said he is planning to stay away from Downtown and focus more on other areas like Monroeville, Penn Hills, Point Breeze and Wilkinsburg.

Weber said he plans to maximize his working hours during the draft and reach the 12-hour limit Uber drivers can work in one day. 

“[The draft] can definitely make a big difference in my income for the month,” Weber said.

By taking public transportation, Shabanpour pointed out, attendees don’t need to worry about the best route to take or finding a parking spot. 

“My number one suggestion to people would be to avoid driving as much as they can,” Shabanpour said. “Why not use public transportation?”

Rainey encourages attendees once Downtown to use walking pathways, POGOH bikeshare, and public transit like the light rail and water taxis. 

Jacob Evangelista, a junior political science major and vice president of Complete Streets at Pitt, said he believes Pittsburgh’s infrastructure may struggle to handle the influx of visitors during draft weekend.

PRT’s redacted bus service during draft weekend will also be a concern, according to Evangelista. Pittsburgh Regional Transport is implementing several service changes to accommodate increased ridership, including four new bus routes called Football Flyers and switching some routes to weekday service and some to Saturday-level service.

“[PRT is] running Saturday schedules on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which is a huge reduction in service,” Evangelista said. “If you’ve ever tried to get around on the bus over the weekends, it’s really hard.”

Adam Brandolph, deputy chief communications officer for PRT, said the changes are designed to manage demand, but riders should still expect delays, adding that traffic congestion will be the main challenge. 

“We still anticipate crowding, particularly during busy times going to and from the draft areas,” Brandolph said. “There’s really no way to prepare for traffic congestion. We encourage riders to plan ahead and allow for extra travel time.”

Evangelista advised students to stay alert, plan routes carefully and avoid main roads. 

“Keep an eye out even more than you normally would,” Evangelista said. “When you’re biking, try to remain on those main biking thoroughfares — don’t go on Fifth Avenue, don’t go on Forbes [Avenue] for the most part.”