PITTSBURGH — 11 Investigates has learned that Pittsburgh city officials are considering closing East Carson Street on the South Side to deal with an uptick in violence and unruly crowds.
Sources said the plan now under serious consideration calls for cordoning off a six-block area in the popular nighttime entertainment district on Friday and Saturday nights between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.
It would only happen during the summer months.
Sources said only people 21 or older would be allowed into that zone.
This idea comes after several weekends in a row of chaos, violence and even gunfire on East Carson Street, where police on one occasion had to deploy pepper spray just to clear the streets.
Earle questioned Pittsburgh City Councilperson Bob Charland, who represents the South Side, about the proposal.
Earle: Is shutting down East Carson street between those bars under consideration?
Charland: It is. It is one of many things that are under consideration. There is nothing that is off the table. We’re really considering all options.
Charland declined to release any details, only confirming that the plan is under consideration.
Charland has said in the past that teenagers hanging around outside bars during late-night hours have caused problems.
Sources told 11 Investigates that because East Carson Street is a state-owned road, the city must apply for a special events permit to close the road on Friday and Saturday nights in the summer.
Private security guards hired by the city will be stationed on South 12th and South 18th streets to check identification cards, and only those 21 and older will be allowed in.
All cars will have to be removed from East Carson before it’s shut down.
Charland said he’s been meeting with restaurant and bar owners, residents and police to work out a plan.
“We know we need to do something. The way the South Side has been operating on the weekends is not sustainable. We’ve had a lot of really fantastic things happening in the South Side and it’s kind of being overshadowed by some of these incidents,” Charland said.
Sources told Earle that PennDOT has told the city it can shut down East Carson Street during those late-night hours in the summer, but PennDOT wants the street to remain open during the winter months.
Sources also said the city is working on a detour route for cars and Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses.
The city closed one lane of East Carson Street about four years ago to deal with an uptick in crime. That plan was then abandoned after some time.
It’s unclear when the city plans to implement any of these potential changes.
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