The West End Improvement Project is located in the City of Pittsburgh west of the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers. The project is located at the south end of the West End Bridge and is locally known as the West End Circle.

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The highway system of Allegheny County is defined by the topography Downtown Pittsburgh is the largest generator of vehicle trips in the region. Natural barriers such as Mount Washington and the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers restrict access to Downtown from the western communities of Allegheny County. Vehicle access from the western communities to Downtown is primarily provided by Interstate 279. Interstate 279 travels through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, under Mount Washington. An Interstate 279 interchange with Saw Mill Run Boulevard (State Route 19) currently exists on the south side of the Fort Pitt Tunnels. This section of Saw Mill Run Boulevard is a four-lane divided principal arterial, also knows as the West End Bypass, traveling around Mount Washington toward a natural valley at the West End Area of the City of Pittsburgh.

The West End Circle is comprised of three principal arterial roadways and local roads. Saw Mill Run Boulevard (State Route 19 and State Route 51), West Carson Street (State Route 837), and South Main Street (State Route 60) are the principal arterial roadways. Saw Mill Run Boulevard carries approximately 27,000 vehicles a day. South Main Street (State Route 60) currently carries approximately 15,000 vehicles a day. The local road is Steuben Street, which carries approximately 13,000 vehicles a day.

The transportation network through this area was first studied in the Parkway West Multi-Modal Corridor Study prepared for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission in 1989. This study concluded that transportation improvements to the area are necessary. The roadway network around the West End area was then further studied in the West End/Banksville Interchange Study prepared for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) in 1996. This study determined that the continuation of the current operation of the West End Circle would produce inefficient traffic flows resulting in further congestion and delays.

Several alternatives were evaluated and a few alternatives showed that improved access directly through the Norfolk Southern Railroad embankment at the West End Circle would increase safety and operational efficiency for vehicular traffic. These modifications would align Saw Mill Run Boulevard with the West End Bridge, which provides linkage and continuity to the roadway system. PENNDOT has now teamed with the Federal Highway Administration, Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh and the Port Authority to provide the final environmental study and engineering design of the roadway improvements of the West End area through this West End Improvement Project.