Moving to Pittsburgh area and need to know commuting times from Upper St. Clair or Peters Township (Lebanon: chapel, how much)

[goodlife11]

We are moving to Pittsburgh area this summer and my husband will be working in two different Pittsburgh locations. One is located on Fort Duquesne Blvd (downtown) and the other is located on Freeport Road (Rt 28). We know Rt 28 is a bottleneck and this is the commute that concerns us the most.

I know many of you will suggest that we solve the dilemma by just living north of the city or in the Fox Chapel area, but we actually prefer south of the city, particularly Upper St. Clair or possibly Peters Township (Washington County). How doable is the USC commute? How much more time would it be from Peters? My husband would need to be at work by 7 or 7:30 a.m. and would likely be done around 6 or 7 pm.

Thanks.

[gg]

Originally Posted by goodlife11

We are moving to Pittsburgh area this summer and my husband will be working in two different Pittsburgh locations. One is located on Fort Duquesne Blvd (downtown) and the other is located on Freeport Road (Rt 28). We know Rt 28 is a bottleneck and this is the commute that concerns us the most.

I know many of you will suggest that we solve the dilemma by just living north of the city or in the Fox Chapel area, but we actually prefer south of the city, particularly Upper St. Clair or possibly Peters Township (Washington County). How doable is the USC commute? How much more time would it be from Peters? My husband would need to be at work by 7 or 7:30 a.m. and would likely be done around 6 or 7 pm.

Thanks.

Wow, what a horrible commute you are looking into. Peters to North 28? Route 28 isn't a bottleneck anymore. That is so old news and not up to date. Commuting is actually better now than ever and that is during construction. After that road is finished, it is going to be a breeze. It takes me about 8 minutes to get into the city off peak and on peak, probably 15 minutes. Leaving the city is longer because that has more restriction. Sure you can live in the South Hills, but those roads are the worst for commuting. If you do gravitate to that area, it is all fine, but don't expect to enjoy commuting from there. The worst or very close to the worst, with Murrysville a close second.

If you feel 28 is a bottleneck and that is part of your decision, I feel you are making a mistake. If you just prefer the feel of Peters and of course Washington County taxes, that is different. There are also some other options. North on 28 you can get up to Butler County. I don't think it is as nice as Peters though.

Either way, his commute on N. 28 isn't going to be the issue. It is the commute from Peters. How about drive down there and do the ride on peak to see what it is like?

[greg42]

That's a long day. Getting in by 7am, he'd probably need to leave at 6 even to get downtown because any later and the traffic would be too heavy, although he should be able to make it even to the Freeport Rd location within that time frame. Better to start at 7am I suspect, because trying to start at 7:30am just puts you into heavier traffic. If he's really still at work at 7pm, there won't be traffic on the way home, which might cut that time to as little as half an hour from downtown, longer from wherever it is on Freeport Rd (Aspinwall? Blawnox? Harmar? Each one is a little farther away.) Leaving downtown at 6pm there's probably still a little traffic so it might still be 45 minutes or thereabouts. All the traffic won't be gone yet. Add 10-15 min or more to get from wherever it is on Freeport Rd. Looking at 13+ hours away from home each day I'd say.

I agree with h_curtis, you have to REALLY REALLY like it down there to not be considering the Fox Chapel/O'Hara Township/Indiana Township areas or Hampton or Pine/Richland or similar spots north of that. All of those put you in a better position to commute to and from those two places, making the Freeport Rd one closer to home than downtown, instead of being even farther away. Not to mention the commute to downtown would still be shorter than from USC/Peters. Gotta ask yourself if you like it enough to endure that commute pain, when there are equally nice places in the north you could choose.

[gg]

Originally Posted by goodlife11

How much more time would it be from Peters? My husband would need to be at work by 7 or 7:30 a.m. and would likely be done around 6 or 7 pm.
Thanks.

The 6 or 7PM part shouldn't be a problem to Peters, except when there is a sporting event. That actually adds a little time, but not too much. The commute home won't be an issue. The commute from Peters to the city is the biggest issue. From the city to north on 28 won't be an issue in the AM. There are people that do what you propose. Long commutes are a drag for some people, but some others could care less. That being said, most people on here don't like commutes or are more city oriented. I just wanted to add this part because if you really love the South Hills, you might want to go for it. Someone from that area will probably tell you about the commute from Peters. It might not be all that bad because he will be leaving pretty early. Without traffic it actually wouldn't be very long at all. Probably less that 30 minutes if not far to the highway, I kid you not.

[hornet67]

If you don't need your car for the downtown commute, you may want to consider driving to South Hills Village and taking the "T" to work. It should be about 45 min. from SHV to town, and you should be assured of a seat starting at SHV. Depending upon how far you away in Peters Twp., it could take 20 min. or more to get to the " T".
The commute up RT. 28 is not one I would want to take from Peters Twp.; I live next door in USC, and would not want to face it from where I live. Then again, I have had 25 + years of commuting downtown, and thankfully , no longer have to deal with it.

[ex-burgher]

Have you checked out many of the northern Suburbs? There are beautiful areas in Pine Township near North Park that would be so much easier.

[robrobrob]

I don't get it. Why Peters or USC? I can see Mt. Lebanon being unique but USC or Peters are not unique at all.

I have friend that commuted to downtown form South Fayette and his commute home is brutal. My guess is that the commute home from Freeport Road to St. Clair or Peters is about 1:15. 6:00 p.m. is still rush hour. And there is traffic coming into town in the evening on 28.

[gg]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

And there is traffic coming into town in the evening on 28.

The traffic on 28 won't be an issue going into the city, it is when you hit the bridge out of the city. That is brutal! Of course if the Steelers have a night game or the Pens, that adds a bit of traffic, but it isn't bad now there are not lights on 28. That made all the difference.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

The traffic on 28 won't be an issue going into the city, it is when you hit the bridge out of the city. That is brutal! Of course if the Steelers have a night game or the Pens, that adds a bit of traffic, but it isn't bad now there are not lights on 28. That made all the difference.

Agree to disagree.

[gg]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

Agree to disagree.

I have been driving it daily this past Fall at those hours, so yeah we can do what you said. What would be the point considering I experience it every weekday for a couple of years.