PRT Board Approves Construction Bid, Route Changes to Advance Bus Rapid Transit Plan
The Pittsburgh Regional Transit board approved a $27.8 million contract with Independence Excavating, Inc., for the first phase of its Bus Rapid Transit project
June 15, 2023
On Friday, March 24, the Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) board approved a $27.8 million contract with Independence Excavating, Inc., for the first phase of its Bus Rapid Transit project (BRT). The project will operate in dedicated bus-only lanes in downtown Pittsburgh, Uptown and Oakland. This project is expected to improve transit amenities, foster more reliable service and create development opportunities.
PRT planners and engineers have spent nearly a decade trying to identify the best way to improve travel between downtown and Oakland, the state’s second and third largest economic centers.
The first phase of construction will focus on the Downtown loop of the BRT, which will impact Fifth, Sixth and Liberty avenues. Changes will include new bus-only lanes, pedestrian improvements and five new bus stations. The full BRT route will eventually run through Uptown to Oakland and in the eastern neighborhoods.
Construction for BRT will begin this fall.
“I want to thank everyone who has helped us achieve this milestone,” said PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman. “This project has taken years to coordinate, plan, and engineer, and I’m honored to help usher the project to this key stage.”
PRT expects to advertise bids for the second phase of the project this fall, which will extend from the edge of downtown through Uptown and into Oakland, with construction on the second phase beginning in 2024.