PA: Lane closures in effect for PRT University Line preconstruction in Uptown, Oakland

Work on Pittsburgh Regional Transit's bus rapid transit expansion project is underway in Uptown and Oakland, and will result in rolling lane closures in both neighborhoods for months, officials said.

The work kicks off the second and final main phase of the PRTX University Line project — which will connect Downtown with Uptown and Oakland through transit-only travel lanes — and is expected to run through 2027. The first phase, through Downtown, began in late 2023.

Commuters will see one lane of open traffic in the affected areas during the work, said PRT spokesman Adam Brandolph.

Beginning Monday, exploratory excavation in Oakland will restrict travel on Forbes Avenue between McKee Place and Meyran Avenue on weeknights from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for several weeks.

Two stretches of Uptown have been restricted during the day for underground drainage infrastructure inspections since the end of January, but progress has been slow due to weather conditions, said Mr. Brandolph.

Forbes Avenue between Jumonville Street and the Birmingham Bridge has been restricted from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Fifth Avenue between Diamond and Jumonville streets has been restricted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All of the sewers within the project boundaries will have to be surveyed by work crews to make sure that they are not below any of the 18 new stations, said PRT Public Relations Director Missy Rubin. The closures in Oakland and Uptown are merely the first of many for that reason, she said.

"In the city, we know that maps aren't always accurate, and they're going to have to make adjustments as needed," she said.

The current Oakland excavation is to relocate a water main between 2-10 feet from its current position to accommodate a bus shelter, said Mr. Brandolph. The shelter will be installed after preconstruction is complete throughout the project, said Ms. Rubin.

Work hours were decided by the city, and PRT planned construction with "careful consideration given to impacted properties and traffic," Ms. Rubin said.

"It's a balancing act, balancing the needs of traffic and impacted property," she said. "In Oakland, where it's more congested, we're doing these temporary work areas in the evening. Later in the project, we will see more long-term closures where fencing will go up."

The new work zones are following the timeline that PRT laid out during a public meeting last month. The project's second phase is expected to add 6 miles of transit corridor through Uptown and Oakland.

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