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Planners, public to meet in Oakland for Bus Rapid Transit system

Planners, public to meet in Oakland for Bus Rapid Transit system

The public will have its chance to learn about the proposed Bus Rapid Transit system between Oakland and Downtown Pittsburgh during two sessions Wednesday at the University of Pittsburgh’s Alumni Hall.

Planners for Pittsburgh and the Port Authority have proposed a system of electric-powered vehicles that would run on exclusive lanes and cut travel time in half between Oakland and Downtown. The vehicles would run every 3 to 5 minutes during rush hours.

At this point, planners are seeking public input on the route the system should take through Oakland and whether it should have branches from Oakland to other East End neighborhoods.

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The system would cost $200 million to $240 million, depending on the options chosen. In addition to improving transit, another major benefit of the project is that it would rebuild Forbes and Fifth avenues in the Uptown neighborhood.

Jason Baguette, a civil engineer with
Ed Blazina
Rapid transit proposal gets positive reviews at sessions

The sessions will be from noon to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m. Planners will make formal presentations at noon, 2 and 5:30 p.m. and attendees can ask questions throughout the sessions at a series of individual stations describing the proposed system.

So far, planners have met with about 20 neighborhood groups throughout Downtown and the East End to present the project and answer questions since it was unveiled last month. About 1,200 people have completed a Port Authority survey, which can be found at www.portauthority.org.

Planners are considering two routes for the main part of the system from Downtown to just past the Cathedral of Learning: inbound from Oakland on Fifth Avenue and outbound on Forbes Avenue, with the current bus lane on Fifth serving as a bicycle lane; or inbound and outbound traffic on Fifth and bike lanes built on Forbes.

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In addition, they want to hear whether the system should be extended to other areas such as Wilkinsburg via the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway, Highland Park and Squirrel Hill.

“Those two are the major, high-level decisions we have to make next,” said Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph. “We’re going to take all the information we’ve gathered into consideration.”

Those decisions should be made before the end of April.

Then, Mr. Brandolph said, planners will hold meetings to work out details such as where to put the system’s limited stations and what amenities they should have.

“We have a rough idea on those items, but nothing is set in stone yet,” he said.

Planners expect to submit the project for federal and state funding in early fall. If it is approved, the system could open in 2021.

Ed Blazina: eblazina@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1470.

First Published: April 5, 2017, 4:00 a.m.

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