Steel Plaza Station entrance on Sixth Avenue to reopen Monday, October 28th

New Sidewalk and Accessible Ramps to Be Installed at Steel Plaza Station

The Steel Plaza Station entrance on Sixth Avenue at Ross Street is closed to allow PRT’s contractor to install new sidewalk and accessible ramps for the University Line.

All other entrances to Steel Plaza Station will remain open. Riders can continue to use the elevator, the entrance on Ross Street near BNY Mellon, and the entrance on Grant Street. The sidewalk is expected to reopen Monday, October 28^th.

When construction for the University Line is complete, Steel Plaza Station will have two 60-foot bus shelters with ADA compliant loading zones. Station amenities will include an emergency phone, security camera(s), seating, lighting, and real-time arrival signs.

Traffic is being maintained in both directions adjacent to the work zone. The sidewalk remains open across from the work site.

Construction fencing is expected to remain in place 24/7 until late fall.

New Travel Lanes to be Established on Fifth Avenue Beginning Next Week

Starting Monday October 28, the Pittsburgh Regional Transit contractor will begin removing existing line striping and placing temporary paint on Fifth Avenue.

The existing traffic lines will be removed overnight from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Paint for new traffic lines will be placed during the day between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Traffic safety personnel will facilitate traffic during both times.

Travel lanes on Fifth and Sixth avenues will be reconfigured to accommodate areas with expanded sidewalks and align with recently installed traffic signals.

Fifth Avenue between Grant Street and Liberty Avenue will have one inbound travel lane and one outbound travel lane. Parking that’s currently on the inbound side will move to the outbound side.

No parking signs have been posted along Fifth Avenue between Smithfield Street and Market Street and parking will be prohibited in the inbound travel lane of Fifth Avenue.

Once all temporary paint has been placed on Fifth Avenue, the contractor will move to Sixth Avenue.

In the spring, red paint will be placed, creating a bus-only lane inbound on Fifth Avenue and outbound on Sixth Avenue.

Traffic Signal Activation to Continue on Sixth Avenue Next Week

PRT’s contractor is activating 35 new traffic signals on Fifth and Sixth in Downtown Pittsburgh. They started this process at Fifth Avenue and Liberty Avenue and are working their way backwards through the downtown loop. Currently, they’re at Sixth Avenue and Diamond Street and working their way towards Sixth and Liberty avenues.

Contractors will work on one intersection at a time. Each of them is expected to take one or two days to complete. Most work will be completed in a parking or travel lane and should have minimal impact to vehicular traffic. 

Traffic signals will be out of service while work is performed, and safety personnel will facilitate traffic at each work location.

Over the next few weeks, electrical crews will move backwards throughout the downtown loop as follows:

The old signals and poles will be removed later this fall.

Pedestrian access will always be maintained; however, some work may require the use of the adjacent parking/travel lane.

Construction Locations for the University Line

PRT’s contractor has seven major work zones in Downtown Pittsburgh. Five of the locations will be PRTX stations (highlighted in green) and the other two locations are safety improvement zones (highlighted in blue).

When construction for the University Line is complete, there will be five new PRTX stations:

​ ​ 1. Ross Street Station

​ ​ 2. William Penn Place Station

​ ​ 3. Market Square Station

​ ​ 4. Wood Street Station

​ ​ 5. Steel Plaza Station

In addition to the five stations, there are two safety improvement sites at: 

​ ​ ​ 6. Sixth Avenue (between Fifth Avenue and Diamond Street) 

​ ​ 7. Sixth Avenue (between Smithfield Street and William Penn Pace) 

Both locations will have new expanded sidewalks with granite curbs and accessible ramps, improving safety and accessibility along the corridor.

Thank you for your continued support of this project.

To learn more about each of the current construction locations, please visit our Construction Locations web page.

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