Although construction is under way on the Penguins' $290 million arena in an area bordered by Fifth Avenue, Washington Place and Centre Avenue, not everyone is happy.

It's not that people don't like the hockey team.

But some believe planners and city officials who granted the building permits could have given more consideration to traffic.

"We're trapped on the Bluff," said Cheri Neely, of Ross. "If you're leaving the Duquesne University campus and attempting to head north, everything is gridlocked! Gridlocked!!"

Because drivers must use one-way Forbes to get to one-way Fifth and to points north from the university and places such as nearby Mercy Hospital, she said all streets in the vicinity are blocked during the afternoon rush hours.

In addition, the ramp from the Boulevard of the Allies to I-579 is closed for repairs, and no turns are permitted from Boyd Street, a move that would provide access to Sixth Avenue without trying to get down to Fifth.

"In our effort to rush home, we have lost our civility," Ms. Neely said. "Drivers block intersections. By the time they move through, the light has turned to their lane once again. Traffic was already horrendous, and now that students have returned to Duquesne for the fall term, it's a nightmare."

The biggest problem? About 100 feet of concrete barrier, placed on and blocking a lane on Washington Place for no good reason.

If it were moved back and placed on the edge of the sidewalk, the lane could be reopened.

"This seems to be an arbitrary placement, since there's no construction close to this lane and probably won't be for some time, because a trailer containing the office sits near the corner," Ms. Neely said.

"Getting Around" visited the area and found her observations to be accurate.

If the Pittsburgh-Allegheny Sports & Exhibition Authority makes one or two small traffic changes while it's building the arena over the next two years, it'll please Uptown neighbors as much as Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury promise to do in their new digs.

Long live liberty. PennDOT has started a months-long, $5.3 million rehabilitation to improve various aspects of the Liberty Tunnels, closing the outbound side at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday nights.

"Didn't they just rehabilitate the tunnels not too many years ago?" Seth Beckerman, of Mt. Lebanon, asked. "What are they doing now and why was this work not done the last time? I guess the work was not in the budget."

Bingo.

PennDOT spent $8 million in 1996, when the purchasing power of construction money was greater, to replace the concrete floors, paint the dirt-embedded walls and clean the tunnel lights. At the time, it didn't have enough funds to do further repairs.

So the current project includes some of the work bypassed in 1996 and some items uncovered during an in-depth inspection in 2005, including updating the electrical system and lighting, making structural concrete repairs and refurbishing the portals.

Time has taken a toll on the 84-year-old tunnel, a lifeline to the South Hills.

Redding up Hays. Residents of the city neighborhood that's part of a "back door" route to Pittsburgh have gotten the runaround trying to clean up graffiti, litter and debris.

For all the talk of "redding up," the city has been of little help.

"We asked, but the city graffiti folks won't clean up where you come into Hays (Route 837) from Becks Run Road," said Phil Jamison, president of the 31st Ward Community Action Group. "They say it's a state-maintained road, so the state is responsible for cleaning it."

PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi has forwarded Mr. Jamison's call for help to the highway-maintenance folks.

As for litter and debris around the busy interchange at the south end of the Glenwood Bridge, Mr. Jamison is trying to organize a group "to get all that stuff" that has created a major eyesore, but he would like PennDOT to help with the overgrown grass and weeds.

MonFayEx input. If you drive any part of the Mon-Fayette Expressway in Allegheny, Washington and Fayette counties, we'd like your opinion about the project, tolls and experiences. If you don't use the toll road, why not?

Send e-mails to jgrata@post-gazette.com or write Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 34 Blvd. of Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.