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Navigating the City's 'Warp Pipes,' and What to Watch Out For

Pittsburgh's roads can be challenging at times, often leading traffic to a slow and frustrating crawl.

But there are ways to avoid sitting in endless congestion through the Fort Pitt Tunnel.

Inspired by a Reddit conversation paying homage to Nintendo's classic "Super Mario" series, we mapped out some of the city's "warp pipes" — shortcuts, essentially — that much like Mario, allow drivers to warp to new worlds (or the South Side, at least).

Editor's note: This post has been updated to remove some of the more residential paths, however drivers should take care to navigate them safely and lawfully, being especially mindful of pedestrians, cyclists and pets.

Shadyside to South Side (Red Path)

Cutting through the Hill District removes the need to stay on busy Centre, Forbes and Fifth avenues and cuts down a lot of time from the trip.

Squirrel Hill to South Side (Purple Path)

Second Avenue can be a Pittsburgh driver's best friend. It runs along I-376 for a length and then curves through parts of Oakland, Greenfield and Squirrel Hill, allowing an alternate path from the Parkway and Forbes Avenue.

Wabash Tunnel (Maroon Path)

Liberty and Fort Pitt tunnels are hubs of congestion. This tube no longer HOV during the West Carson reconstruction project until 2015. It has limited hours, but it provides a great shortcut.

Do you have suggestions for more warp pipes? Tweet us @esspgh or email us at esspgh@wesa.fm