Nearly $100 million coming to Port Authority to connect downtown, Oakland

PITTSBURGH — President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Thursday night that the U.S. Department of Transportation is giving $99.95 million in funding to Port Authority to “connect Pittsburghers to their two largest commercial employment centers through safe, quick transit service.”

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The news came as a surprise for some, including officials in Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s office.

Allegheny County councilman Sam DeMarco replied to the tweet, saying this money will, in fact, be used to fund the county’s “Bus Rapid Transit” project to connect Downtown Pittsburgh to Oakland.

Riders say this could be a game changer when it comes to bridging the gap and getting people from busy downtown to places like the East End and Oakland.

The buses would run 7 days a week and feature 44 stops. ((TAKE SOTS))

“Honestly I think anything that can help people get to where they need to go with more efficiency is probably a good thing,” rider Emily Gingrich said.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald issued a statement Friday saying:

“We were delighted to get the news about the funding decision and thank President Trump for the financial support of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. We are also lucky that Congressman Doyle, the ‘Dean of the Delegation’ has such vision and clout and has championed this project from the very beginning. He, along with Congressman Lamb who is a member of the Transportation Committee, have been vocal advocates for this important connection since it was first envisioned.

“We are extremely fortunate in this community to have strong bipartisan support of impactful projects like this from Senator Casey, Senator Toomey, Congressman Kelly and Congressman Reschenthaler. We thank all of them for their partnership and assistance in securing this important funding.”

The Port Authority weighed in saying they’re pleased to learn of such positive news.

According to the Port Authority website, BRT is a “high-quality bus-based transit system that delivers fast, comfortable, and cost-effective services via dedicated lanes and frequent operations.”

Port Authority’s BRT service plan calls for a “core” route that runs east to west between downtown and Oakland with three branches that go to Greenfield, Highland Park and through several Mon Valley communities.

Here is how PAT officials describe the BRT project and how it could be useful in Pittsburgh:

"While BRT often looks different in each area it’s implemented, it generally contains features similar to a light rail or metro system and is therefore more reliable, convenient, and faster than regular bus services.

With the right features, BRT is able to avoid the causes of delay that typically slow regular bus services, like being stuck in traffic and queuing to pay on board.

In some systems, BRT buses run in dedicated lanes and stop at stations where riders pay before boarding the bus. Buses running on BRT lines may also receive traffic signal priority to speed them along. More modern fixtures include diesel-alternatives, like hybrid-electric or full electric buses and stations with realtime bus location information."

There would be some changes to bus routes once the project is completed:

MAJOR CHANGES

• 61A North Braddock - will become a BRT route and operate from North Braddock to downtown Pittsburgh.
• 61B Braddock – Swissvale - will become a BRT route and operate from Braddock to downtown Pittsburgh.
• 61C McKeesport - will become a BRT route and operate from McKeesport to downtown Pittsburgh.
• 71B Highland Park - will become a BRT route and operate from Highland Park to downtown Pittsburgh. The 71B will operate along North Highland Avenue to Bryant Street, turn left onto Negley Avenue and right at Mellon Terrace. 71B buses will lay over at Mellon Terrace.
• P3 East Busway – Oakland - will become a BRT route that operates from Wilkinsburg Station to downtown Pittsburgh via Forbes Avenue .

In downtown Pittsburgh, all of the above routes will reverse their existing loops, entering downtown on Fifth Avenue, turning right onto Liberty Avenue, turning right onto Sixth Avenue, and turning right onto Forbes Avenue before heading outbound.

The following routes will operate from Craft Avenue in Oakland east. They will no longer serve Uptown or downtown Pittsburgh:

• 61D Murray
• 71A Negley - will remain on Negley Avenue in Highland Park and lay over at Mellon Terrace.
• 71C Point Breeze
• 71D Hamilton

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