Bus, light-rail detours to take effect Sunday, as work begins on PRT Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel

PITTSBURGH — Beginning February 23, Pittsburgh Regional Transit riders can expect some detours on their routes in and out of the city, as the Mt. Washington transit tunnel will be closed for eight months.

A $28 million dollar rail improvement project is getting underway to improve the tunnel, a key connection between South Hills Junction and Station Square Station, but that will mean schedule changes and detours for those riding the bus or the T.

More than 1,000 feet of light-rail track, roadway, and overhead electric lines will be replaced in the tunnel, which PRT officials said will improve the system’s safety, reliability, and efficiency long term.

“You can feel the vibrations when you go through there,” said John Batronis Sr., who rides the T. “the outbound rail is getting pretty rough. Inbound is still pretty smooth.”

In the interim, Station Square Station will no longer be served by the red, blue, and silver lines, which will now utilize East Warrington and Arlington Avenue through Allentown.

“To me, it’s just that a little more community care needs to be involved just to make sure that people are being taken care of properly,” said Nico Mostella, who takes the T from downtown to the South Hills.

The tunnel will reopen once work is done and the tracks pass inspection.

DETOUR INFORMATION:

The Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel will be closed to all traffic, including rail and buses.

While the tunnel is closed, Blue Line and Red Line light-rail service will operate about every 15 minutes through Allentown using the tracks along East Warrington and Arlington avenues; PRT will establish a temporary light-rail stop on Warrington Avenue at Allen Street in both directions.

Meanwhile, the Silver Line will be temporarily shortened on weekdays to operate between Library Station and Washington Junction to reduce the number of rail cars operating up the Arlington Avenue hill and through Allentown. Riders traveling to Silver Line stations beyond Washington Junction can transfer from the Blue Line to the Silver Line at Washington Junction. On weekends, the Red, Blue, and Silver lines will operate via Allentown.

PRT will operate a temporary “Subway Local” light-rail route from Station Square to Allegheny Station, which will ensure adequate capacity within the Downtown and North Shore areas . This route will operate about every 35 minutes between 4:45 a.m. and 1:45 a.m. on weekdays, 5:45 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Saturdays, and 5:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Sundays.

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