Shelter Installations Happening on Fifth and Forbes Avenues

Coming soon to Oakland – red bus lanes are coming to Forbes and Fifth avenues! More details will be shared next week.

Shelter Installations Happening on Fifth and Forbes Avenues

Work continues on the installation of new PRTX stations throughout Uptown and Oakland. Shelter frames are now in place at the following locations:

Each station has been customed designed and the frames are installed as they arrive from the manufacturer. Crews will return to install station amenities, security features, and other components to complete the stations.

By the end of the year, a total of 19 new PRTX stations will be installed at both inbound and outbound bus stops along the University Line corridor. While construction is underway, riders must continue using the existing bus stops until the new shelters are fully completed and open for service.

Sidewalk and Roadway Restoration in Full Swing on Forbes Avenue in Uptown

Construction crews are present throughout Forbes Avenue in Uptown performing roadway restoration on the southside of Forbes Avenue along with sidewalk construction on both sides of the road.

Currently, crews are conducting road patching by replacing sections of concrete roadway deemed not suitable for future paving in both the south and center lanes. Milling operations have already been completed on Forbes Avenue stretching from Boyd Street to Jumoville Street. Roadway restoration on Forbes Avenue is broken down into three phases:

Crews are completing sidework construction within several blocks along the south side of Forbes Avenue.

Sidewalk demolition and construction on the north side of Forbes Avenue continues between Seneca Street and Brady Street.

Parking remains suspended on both sides of Forbes Avenue and traffic will remain restricted to one lane while crews work to get the road completed.

Access to businesses and intersections will be maintained, and pedestrians will continue to have access through temporary walkways, ADA-accessible ramps, or sidewalks on the opposite side of active work zones.

Motorists are encouraged to slow down, use caution, and watch for changing traffic patterns throughout the construction zones.

Sidewalk Construction Activities Underway on Fifth Avenue in Uptown

Sidewalk restoration continues along the south side of Fifth Avenue between the Boulevard of the Allies on-ramp and Kirkpatrick Street near the Birmingham Bridge. Construction crews are currently restoring the sidewalk and curbs with work expected to be completed by Labor Day. This section of ​ will be a shared use path with the future bike lane. Traffic through this construction zone is reduced to a single lane.

Once this phase of work is complete, the roadway will then be milled, patched, and paved.

Sidewalk restoration along the north side of Fifth Avenue between Kirkpatrick Street and Wyandotte Street is expected to be completed by the first week of August. Sidewalk construction will then flip to the south side of Fifth Avenue from Kirkpatrick Street to Jumonville Street.

Sidewalk demolition has begun on the south side of Fifth Avenue from Diamond Street near downtown extending to Wyandotte Street. This phase of construction will continue ​ the end of the year.

Pedestrian access to local businesses is being maintained along the sidewalk on the north side of Fifth ​ and flaggers will be on site.

PRT Awarded $9 Million to Extend University Line

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission has awarded Pittsburgh Regional Transit $9 million to help fund the PRTX University Line extension from Squirrel Hill to the Homestead Grays Bridge. This adds to a previous award of $7.4 million in 2023 from SPC to extend the University Line from Oakland to Squirrel Hill.

The new funding will partially cover the cost to extend the line to the City of ​ side of the Homestead Grays Bridge, where it will then continue across the bridge to Homestead and McKeesport as part of a separate PRT project.

The extension from Squirrel Hill to the Homestead Grays Bridge could include six station pairs with accessibility improvements including extended sidewalks, next bus arrival screens, fare vending machines, seating, lighting, bike racks, emergency phones, and security cameras. PRT will host public meetings and solicit community feedback on the location and sizes of the stations in the near future.

PRT will spend the next 12-18 months advancing the planning and design of the Murray and Forbes Avenue portions of the project and integrating it with the rest of the corridor, including the extension down Browns Hill Road, across the Homestead Grays Bridge, and along State Route 837 to McKeesport. The project will include close coordination between PRT, PennDOT, the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, and Allegheny County Department of Public Works, which are also advancing projects in the corridor.

With this new funding, PRT has approximately 60% of the costs needed to construct the Squirrel Hill Branch from Oakland to the Homestead Grays Bridge. The total project is estimated to cost between $28 and $35 million.

The University Line Corridor ​

When construction for the University Line is complete, there will be 24 PRTX stations throughout Downtown, Uptown, and Oakland. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

PRT continues to work closely with stakeholders including community groups, universities, businesses, and other impacted groups during construction. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

PRTX stations will have new shelters with upgraded amenities, including next-bus arrival screens, fare vending machines, seating, lighting, emergency phones and security cameras. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

To learn more about each of the current construction locations, please visit the University Line Newshub at prt-brt-newshub.prezly.com/ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Thank you for your continued support of this project. ​ ​

For questions or concerns, please contact brt@rideprt.org or 412-442-2000.