PITTSBURGH — A seven-week closure of Pittsburgh Regional Transit light rail lines in downtown Pittsburgh is set to begin April 5, part of a newly accelerated schedule for a multi-year, $150 million project to improve the light rail network.
The transit agency announced Tuesday, March 19, that it would combine multiple projects that were intended to be addressed separately, streamlining operations, maximizing efficiency, and minimizing disruptions.
Among those projects is the work to repair the concrete foundations, or plinths, for the light rail tracks in downtown subway tunnels. That will require the lines in the tunnel to be closed starting April 5, immediately after the Pittsburgh Pirates’ baseball season opener, through May 30. An additional multi-week closure will likely be required sometime in 2025 to complete the work, PRT says. Details on detours and shuttle-bus substitutions are available here.
Other projects include replacing more than 10,000 feet of track and four grade crossing in the communities of Castle Shannon, Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, and Beechview, as well as inside the Mt. Lebanon and Mt. Washington tunnels; station rebuilds or upgrades at Beechview, Station Square, and Dormont Junction; and rehabilitation of the 1.2-mile Panhandle Bridge across the Mononogahela River. The projects will run through 2028. More detailed information on each is available here.
“These projects are an important investment in our region’s future,” PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman said in a press release. “By fortifying our light-rail system, we’re building a stronger, safer, and more reliable foundation for years to come.”
A public meeting on the projects is scheduled for today (Thursday, March 21) at 6:30 p.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 1810 Belasco Avenue in Pittsburgh. An online meeting is also set for Tuesday, April 2 at 4 p.m.; that event can be accessed here.
