After several delays, Port Authority expects to begin construction early next year on the Bus Rapid Transit system between Oakland and Downtown Pittsburgh.
The system will create exclusive bus lanes inbound on Fifth Avenue and outbound on Forbes Avenue with priority at traffic signals and wings to take buses to Highland Park and Greenfield and Wilkinsburg via the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway.
The authority board’s Planning and Stakeholder Relations Committee recommended Thursday that the full board approve two key cooperation agreements when it meets next Friday. The Federal Transit Administration is continuing its review of the project, but David Huffaker, the authority’s chief development officer, said the agreements are major items the FTA wants to be completed before it releases more than $100 million to support the project.
One is an amended agreement with Allegheny County, the city and the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority that spells out financial responsibilities throughout the project and the other outlines what improvements will be the responsibility of Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.
A review of the project by FTA consultant McKissack & McKissack began in February 2021 and will likely take another couple months. Mr. Huffaker said he expects the review to be completed by summer and advertising for construction contracts to occur before the end of the year.
“I think we’re in a good place with the project,” he told the committee. “It’s a very complicated project that involves all parts of the city. I wish it was a perfect, seamless process, but we’re trying to coordinate things as best we can.”
The other entities already have approved the agreements, which Mr. Huffaker called “an excellent example of the mutual benefits” the project will provide.
The goal is for the buses to operate on a more predictable schedule between two of the state’s busiest commercial centers. Currently, some buses get bunched together during rush hour, often creating long gaps between bus service for commuters.
In an interview after the meeting, Mr. Huffaker said he expects the final budget to be higher than the projected $230 million, which includes a $99.5 million federal grant. Many of those extra costs could be covered with federal funds — the project has already received an additional $19.3 million grant and President Joe Biden’s proposed budget includes more money for the project.
The agency also plans to hold additional meetings this summer for public input on final changes to project plans before the bidding process begins.
An expected two years of construction would begin Downtown and proceed east to Oakland. The Downtown loop would take buses down Fifth Avenue to Liberty Avenue, Liberty to Sixth Avenue, and Sixth to Forbes.
That stretch would open for operation as soon as it is finished, Mr. Huffaker said.
Ed Blazina: eblazina@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1470 or on Twitter @EdBlazina.
First Published: April 21, 2022, 11:14 p.m.
Updated: April 22, 2022, 10:50 a.m.
