Hill International begins $18 million project in electrical upgrades at PRT's East Liberty garage

Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) has begun to see the fulfillment of an agreement with Hill International, Inc. with the construction management and inspection of $18 million in electrical upgrades at the agency’s East Liberty garage and at a layover area along the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway.

The scope includes the installation of charging systems for electric buses and electrical and power supply upgrades. Hill will help the team achieve PRT’s quality, schedule, and cost goals for the project in support of the agency’s Zero Emissions Bus Initiative. The project will support battery-electric charging stations for PRTX: The University Line, PRT’s first bus rapid transit project in more than 20 years.

“Hill is a proud partner of public transit agencies around the world,” said Hill International CEO Raouf Ghali. “As robust public transit is a key to making our cities more sustainable and livable, we are thrilled to help PRT deliver the future of transit in the Pittsburgh region.”

The University Line involves the implementation of a fast, comfortable and cost-effective bus-based transit system via dedicated lanes and frequent operations, providing an east-west connection between downtown Pittsburgh, Uptown and Oakland, with service improvements extending to the city’s dense East End neighborhoods. PRT aims to enhance Pittsburgh’s public transit infrastructure through improved reliability and connectivity and to reduce carbon emissions by using zero-emissions vehicles. The $291 million University Line includes the construction of new bus stations, renovations at existing facilities, street right-of-way improvements and more.

“The University Line is important for Pittsburgh’s future,” said Dean Kurutz, Hill’s resident construction manager on the project. “It’s going to make the city’s public transit more robust and help lay the infrastructure for the future transition to a zero-emission fleet. Our team understands the importance of each individual work order to the integrity of the overall program, so we look forward to getting started and helping PRT realize its goals.”

“Hill has decades of experience supporting PRT, formerly the Port Authority of Allegheny County, on public transit projects,” said Hill International Vice President Therese Shearer. “Dean and his team will leverage that experience, especially their familiarity with PRT’s inspection procedures and construction best practices, to deliver exceptional construction management services from day one.”