Letter to the editor: Moving on from Mon Oakland Connector

Good news overall, but “Focus of Pittsburgh’s proposed Mon Oakland Connector project changes” (Feb. 11, TribLIVE) needs a few corrections.

The Mon Oakland Connector drew opposition from a wider range of Pittsburghers than “public transit advocates” and “some Greenfield residents.” Neighbors from Hazelwood, Greenfield, Oakland, Panther Hollow, Four Mile Run and Squirrel Hill created the “Our Money, Our Solutions” plan, which identifies better ways to spend MOC funds in our communities.

The “stormwater issues” mentioned threaten public health and safety in Four Mile Run. The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority already has $42.65 million for stormwater improvements in The Run, but its project came after — and is designed around — plans for the MOC. PWSA says it will not remove the MOC from its permit application to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection unless the mayor’s office directs it to do so.

Finally, one update: Mayor Ed Gainey and Councilman Corey O’Connor attended a public meeting in Hazelwood Feb. 17 to discuss the mayor’s Feb. 16 announcement ending the project. Hazelwood residents described a wide range of critical infrastructure needs, none of which included MOC shuttles.

The MOC, pushed relentlessly for years over communities’ objections, has shattered public trust. Let’s repair that trust — and our infrastructure — under a new name.

Ziggy Edwards

Greenfield