Better Buses En Route
By Clayton Smith
Construction in Pittsburgh is everywhere: yes, it can be pretty inconvenient. But genuine improvements are coming to Downtown and beyond that benefit all Yinzers.
One of the projects benefiting the Burgh is the PRTX University Line, a new bus rapid transit line built from Downtown through Uptown and into Oakland. Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s new project PRTX combines the efficiency of light rail transit with the affordability of buses.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) works by creating a bus system with dedicated lanes, busways, traffic signal priority and station improvements like elevated platforms, real-time updates and off-bus fare collection.
PRTX will implement many of these aspects and create a core route for future expansion. Although a more extensive system was initially proposed, with guidance from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA), Pittsburgh Regional Transit chose to create a strong foundational line with easily available opportunities for expansion.
The core routes will be 61A, 61B, 61C, 71B and P3. The buses will travel in dedicated bus lanes that loop through Downtown and to Oakland before continuing on their usual routes. The P3 service will change significantly by adding weekend service, extending into Downtown and, most importantly, now ending in Wilkinsburg.
Work on the University Line officially began in September to create the five-station loop Downtown. The five Downtown stops will be Ross and Fifth, William Penn and Fifth, Market Square and Fifth, Wood and Sixth and finally, Steel Plaza on Grant and Sixth.
The construction is currently impacting portions of Fifth Avenue and Liberty Avenue, but as progress continues, the affected streets will change. The project's second phase plans to begin in the Spring of 2024 on the Uptown and Oakland sections.
The Downtown loop costs around $27.8 million and will take approximately 18 months to complete. Although the original price tag of the PRTX sits at about $291 million, a $150 million contribution from the FTA will reduce the overall cost for Pittsburgh Regional Transit.
As of September, 84 unique bus routes took 25 different loops through Downtown. This large number traveling through a small area caused back-ups and other delays. The introduction of the PRTX will alleviate these issues Downtown and save the Pittsburgh Regional Transit about 100 service hours daily to improve overall service.
With these new plans come changes to bus routes that will impact Pittsburghers. Five routes that initially went through to Downtown are now shortened. The 61D, 71A, 71C and the 71D will now end their inbound trips in Oakland and note this on the displays.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit isn't just leaving people stranded. The authority is implementing a free three-hour transfer window from the affected routes to the 61A, 61B, 61C and 71B for riders to easily access Uptown and Downtown with no additional cost. To help accommodate the change in ridership there will also be increased service on the 82, 87, and P7.
