Allegheny County Transit Council

Pittsburgh Regional Transit will add a second work location to the University Line bus rapid transit project on Sixth Avenue between Smithfield Street and William Penn Place beginning next week.

The work will involve exploratory excavation and relocation of water and drainage infrastructure.

Contractors are expected to establish the new work location on Monday, although the exact day will depend on the severity of this weekend’s expected snowstorm.

Once construction gets underway, one traffic lane will be maintained in each direction on Sixth Avenue. No other streets will be impacted.

The work is expected to last at this location through mid-February.

Mellon Garage will remain accessible from all entrances and exits, and pedestrian access will be maintained on Sixth Avenue opposite the work zone.

PRT bus routes P1, P68, and P71 will detour one block to Fifth Avenue, however all stops will continue to be served.

Construction on Sixth Avenue near Grant Street Nears Completion

University Line construction at Sixth Avenue between Grant and Ross is expected to wrap up by the end of January.

Contractors are installing new water and drainage infrastructure there, too.

The first phase of construction on the University Line began September 13 and is expected to take about 18 months to complete. A construction contract for the second phase – Uptown through Oakland – will be put out to bid later this year.

For more information on the University Line, please visit www.rideprt.org/brt and to sign up for the University Line Newsletter, visit https://prt-brt-newshub.prezly.com/.

PRT Bus Rapid Transit Project Newshub Pittsburgh Regional Transit, formerly Port Authority of Allegheny County, is the nation’s 26th largest transit agency. Our 2,600 employees...

After more than a decade of planning, construction on the downtown portion of Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s University Line will begin Wednesday, September 13, Pittsburgh Regional Transit announced today. The University Line is PRT’s first bus rapid transit project under the new level of service branded as PRTX.

Construction will start on Fifth Avenue between Liberty Avenue and Market Street, adjacent to Triangle Park. The contractor will be working weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The initial work includes relocating and replacing water and sewer infrastructure.

Traffic on Fifth Avenue will be reconfigured for the first 30 days of construction. Both lanes of Fifth Avenue heading toward Fifth Avenue Place will be closed from Market Street to Liberty Avenue. Vehicles traveling toward Fifth Avenue Place will use the remaining travel lane.

Traffic coming from Liberty Avenue onto Fifth Avenue will be detoured onto Sixth Avenue or Fourth Avenue via Stanwix Street.

The sidewalk along Fifth Avenue adjacent to Triangle Park will be inaccessible during this work.

Once construction is complete, the Downtown Loop will include five PRTX stations:

Ross Street (Fifth Avenue at Ross Street)
William Penn Place (Fifth Avenue at William Penn Place)
Market Square (Fifth Avenue at Market Street)
Wood Street (Sixth Avenue at Wood Street)
Steel Plaza (Sixth Avenue at Grant Street)
Buses will enter downtown on Fifth Avenue, turn right onto Liberty Avenue, right onto Sixth Avenue, and left onto Forbes Avenue. Construction of the Downtown Loop is expected to take 18 months.

PRT’s Board awarded the $27.8 million contract to Independence Excavating, Inc. on March 24. The second phase of the project – from Uptown to Oakland – will be put out for bid before the end of the year.

The University Line will improve accessibility and safety throughout the corridor. The project includes new sidewalks, ADA ramps, protected bike lanes, traffic signals, and landscaping.

Communities with PRTX service can expect increased reliability and on-time performance thanks to transit-only travel lanes and amenities like new shelters with real-time arrival screens.