WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2024
Officials in Pittsburgh have announced multiple projects aimed at updating most of the city’s 26.2-mile light rail system, also known as the “T,” that connects the city’s North Shore to its South Hills neighborhoods and suburbs.
According to reports, the total cost for the entire project is estimated cost over $150 million, beginning with concrete beam repairs for stations in Downtown Pittsburgh.
About the Project
Last month, Pittsburgh Regional Transit unveiled the rehabilitation projects, noting that the effort combines multiple projects that were initially supposed to be done separately. Combining the work was expected to help “streamline operations, maximize efficiency and minimize disruptions,” the PRT said.
Projects are anticipated to run one after another through 2028.
The effort will reportedly include repairs and replacements to the T’s infrastructure, such as the repair of the concrete rail foundations in the Downtown tunnels, the replacement of over 10,000 feet of light rail track and the reconstruction or upgrading of certain stations.
??Don't forget: Join us online April 2nd at 4 pm as we present information & answer your questions about the upcoming rail project this summer, and the rail projects that we'll be working on over the next 5 years. A link will be provided to join the meeting.
— Pittsburgh Regional Transit (@PGHtransit) March 27, 2024
If you're unable to… pic.twitter.com/dNFWVnx0O3
“These projects are an important investment in our region’s future,” said PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman. “By fortifying our light-rail system, we’re building a stronger, safer, and more reliable foundation for years to come.”
Additionally, another project further down the timeline will reportedly see the rehabilitation of the Panhandle Bridge, taking light rail cars over the Monongahela River. The transit authority explained that the Panhandle Bridge hasn’t been rehabilitated in roughly 40 years.
PRT added that many of the projects are fully funded, though it is still seeking funding for some, like the rehabilitations of the Station Square and Dormont Junction T stations. Those projects still reportedly have pending designs.
Projects for this multi-year effort reportedly include:
Last week, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that PRT officials held a virtual presentation to discuss the projects that are now getting underway.
At the presentation, officials said that the plinth work would occur seven days a week, and Wood Street Station will be closed as a result. Light rail trains from the South Hills will reportedly be detouring from Steel Plaza to Penn Station, where riders can get a free shuttle to the Gateway station.
Work for the plinth project is expected to cost $35 million, and PRT officials are planning for intermittent closures during weekends in the fall. There will also reportedly be multiple weeks of closures in January and February 2025, and tentative weekend closures in the spring of that year.
Moving forward, work on the Panhandle Bridge is estimated to cost $67.5 million. Trains will still be single-tracked across the bridge, with intermittent closures. No delays are reportedly expected on inbound trains to downtown, but delays of three minutes or more could be possible outbound.
PRT officials added that the replacement of 10,000 feet of light rail tracks, beginning in May, will cause multiple station closures along the Red Line in the South Hills, and shuttle bus service will be provided. The costs for work along the Red Line are estimated to rest at about $20 million, with work expected to wrap up by the end of August.
Additionally, Greg O’Hare, Chief Engineer for PRT, said cost estimates for the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel are preliminary but currently stand at $20 million to $25 million.
O’Hare added that the major rehabilitation work on the Panhandle Bridge hadn’t occurred since it was converted from a heavy freight bridge to light rail.
“All of this rail work that we're going through, replacing … this rail was installed as part of what we call ‘Phase One’ in the early 1980s when PRT, formerly [the] Port Authority, had embarked on [creating] a new light rail system from the old trolley system,” O’Hare said.
Other Pittsburgh Projects
At the beginning of this year, state and county officials announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation had awarded $132 million in funds for maintenance work on three major bridges in Pittsburgh to preserve their condition.
According to reports, the bridges at Fort Duquesne, West End and McKees Rocks span either the Allegheny or Ohio rivers and have a combined age of almost 240 years.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the new funding was announced in a press conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll and former Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald (in his new role as executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission) were among those in attendance.
Carroll stated after the press conference that the $132 million from the PennDOT would help aid other federal and state funds that were also meant for the completion of all three bridge repair projects.
According to the report, $25 million was to be allotted for McKees Rocks, $60 million for Fort Duquesne and $47 million for the West End Bridge.
Because of these new funds, the estimated total costs of all three projects had reportedly risen to $90 million in total for McKees Rocks, $162 million for Fort Duquesne and $120 million for West End.
The report added that Carroll did not give an exact timeline for each project, aside from saying it would take years for all three to be completed.
Rehab work for the bridges reportedly included deck reconstruction, bearing replacement and other critical needs.
Officials said that the funding announced on Jan. 18 was important to infrastructure that connects people to jobs, school, social activities and so on.
Tagged categories: Construction; Funding; Government; Grants; Infrastructure; Infrastructure; Ongoing projects; Program/Project Management; Rail; Railcars; Rehabilitation/Repair; Transportation; Upcoming projects
