The Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) Board approved a $28 million contract to construct the first phase of the Downtown-Uptown-Oakland Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
Independence Excavating, Inc. will begin construction this fall along Fifth, Liberty and Sixth avenues in downtown Pittsburgh. Phase one includes the installation of five new bus stations in downtown Pittsburgh, transit-exclusive traffic lanes, intersection improvements and new accessible ramps, among other improvements.
"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.”
The $291-million Downtown-Uptown-Oakland BRT project will provide more reliable, convenient and faster service with improved amenities and transit connections. The project is being paid for with federal, state, county and PRT funding.
PRT expects to advertise bids for the second phase of the project, which would extend from the edge of downtown through Uptown and into Oakland, this fall, with construction on the second phase beginning in 2024.
The board also approved service changes to bus routes 61D, 71A, 71C and 71D, which are expected to be implemented this fall. Proposed changes to the P3 bus route were deferred.
