PITTSBURGH — In less than a month, hundreds of thousands of football fans will arrive in Pittsburgh for the 2026 NFL Draft.
City, county and other regional officials gathered in the North Side T Station on Wednesday, outlining plans to keep transportation efficient and accessible amid the influx of visitors.
Coming up at 5 p.m. on Channel 11, reporter Cara Sapida has more details on how organizers plan to keep people moving smoothly.
The Draft will take place Thursday through Saturday, April 23-25, with the Draft Theater and Main Stage located outside Acrisure Stadium. Additional events and activations will be held around the city.
>>> The NFL Draft is approaching in Pittsburgh. Here’s what we know about the campus so far <<<
“From a transportation perspective, this is about moving a really large number of people efficiently and reliably over a short amount of time,” Pittsburgh Regional Transit CEO Katharine Kelleman said.
Kelleman called PRT’s light-rail system the “backbone” of the plan. The Red and Blue lines will run every 15 minutes between the South Hills, Downtown and North Shore.
PRT will introduce four special “Football Flyer” routes to bring riders from park-and-ride locations to the Draft Experience at Point State Park and the Draft center in the North Shore. The 28X Airport Flyer will provide additional trips.
PRT’s high-volume routes — such as the P1, G2 and 54 — will stay on their weekday schedule, but most routes will run their Saturday schedule on Thursday and Friday so service can shift to where demand is the greatest.
Additional staff will be stationed throughout PRT’s system to help riders with the changes and direct crowd flow.
The North Shore will see temporary road closures, with the first phase beginning this Friday.
Closures will start small, focusing on the Draft Theater, before gradually expanding out. The most significant impacts will happen during the Draft, and closures will be reversed immediately afterward.
Click here for a list of roads that will close during the Draft.
Pedestrian paths are being coordinated in the Draft area. This includes the Roberto Clemente Bridge, which will be closed to accommodate a festival experience.
Officials encouraged individuals to generally avoid driving during the Draft and use public transit whenever possible.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
