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September 2, 2010

Additional bus route changes to begin

EBO busSeventy-five additional Port Authority bus routes will be affected starting Sept. 5 and 7 — including several with service to Oakland — during this year’s third phase of service changes.

(See April 1 University Times for stories on the service changes implemented in April. See June 10 University Times for service changes implemented in June.)

Under the Port Authority’s transit development plan, service changes will be implemented in phases until March 2012.

Specific information on the September changes is available at www.portauthority.org/paac/portals/1/tdp/RoutesBrochureSept2010.pdf. Printable schedules for all bus routes are available on the main web site (PortAuthority.org).

The Port Authority also is considering additional changes intended to counter the potential shortfall in state transportation funding, which still is unresolved in the state legislature. (See related story this issue.)

Oakland routes that will be affected beginning this weekend are:

Effective Sept. 7, the EBO will be renumbered P3 East Busway-Oakland. P3 East Busway-Oakland will operate between Swissvale and Oakland via the East Busway, Neville Street and Fifth Avenue to Robinson Street.

P3 routing will be the same as the current EBO. However, the schedule has been revised.

Starting Sept. 5, routes 56E and 56U will be discontinued and partially replaced by 58 Greenfield. 58 Greenfield will operate between Downtown and Oakland via Second, Greenfield and Hazelwood avenues, Bigelow Street, Winterburn Avenue, Greenfield and Panther Hollow roads and the Boulevard of the Allies.

Outbound trips to Oakland will operate along Halket Street, Forbes, South Bellefield, Fifth and Morewood avenues to Carnegie Mellon.

Inbound 58 Greenfield will operate from Carnegie Mellon via Forbes, South Bellefield, Fifth and Craft avenues before returning to the Boulevard of the Allies and reversing the outbound routing to Downtown.

The 56E service to Browns Hill Road, Homestead and The Waterfront will be discontinued.

The 56U service to Wightman Street and Hazelwood Avenue between Bigelow Street and Second Avenue will be discontinued. Service along Forbes Avenue between Morewood Avenue and Wightman Street also will be discontinued. Service between Greenfield and Oakland will operate seven days a week throughout the day.

Starting Sept. 7, route 67C will be discontinued and partially replaced by 78 Oakmont and P78 Oakmont Flyer. For service to Point Breeze, Squirrel Hill and Oakland, riders should transfer to routes 67 Monroeville or 69 Trafford on Wallace Avenue at Wood Street in Wilkinsburg. Express service to Oakland also is available on the P3 East Busway-Oakland from the Wilkinsburg Station.

Starting Sept. 5, the 71A will be renamed 71A Negley, and the schedule will be revised. Service to the 62nd Street Loop will be discontinued.

Starting Sept. 5, the 71C schedule will be revised and the route renamed 71C Point Breeze. 71C will operate via Wilkinsburg Station, Hay Street, Penn Avenue, South Beatty Street, Baum Boulevard, South Negley and Centre avenues, North Craig Street and Fifth Avenue to Downtown.

Service along Pennwood Avenue, Rowland Connector, Kelly and Trenton avenues, Whitfield Street, South Highland Avenue, Ellwood, Walnut and College streets and Ellsworth Avenue will be discontinued. (All service on Ellsworth Avenue will be provided by 75 Ellsworth.)

Starting Sept. 5, the 71D schedule will be revised and routing in Wilkinsburg will change. 71D will operate between Wilkinsburg and Downtown via Wilkinsburg Station, Hay Street, Wallace Avenue, Wood and Oakmont streets, Hamilton Avenue and Fifth Avenue to Downtown.

Service to South and Swissvale avenues, Jane Street Loop, Coal Street, Franklin Avenue and Wood Street between Franklin and Wallace avenues will be discontinued. Service along Tioga and Rosedale streets also will be discontinued.

Starting Sept. 7, route 77U will be discontinued. For service between Penn Hills and Oakland, riders must take 77 Penn Hills to East Liberty and transfer to the P3 East Busway-Oakland on the East Busway at East Liberty Station.

Stating Sept. 5, the 81A route will be renamed 81 Oak Hill. 81 Oak Hill will operate between Oakland, Downtown and Wharton Square on the South Side. Outbound trips will operate via Centre Avenue, Crawford Street, Bedford Avenue, Kirkpatrick and Rose streets, Elmore Square, Bentley and Oak Hill drives, Eckstein Place, Wadsworth, Robinson, Terrace and Darragh streets, Fifth Avenue, the Birmingham Bridge, East Carson Street, 21st and Wharton streets.

Inbound service will operate from Wharton Square via Wharton, 20th and East Carson streets, the Birmingham Bridge, Forbes Avenue, Bigelow Boulevard, Fifth Avenue, DeSoto and Terrace streets, with reverse outbound routing. Service to the VA Hospital will be provided by route 83 Webster.

81 Oak Hill and 83 Webster will replace 81C, 84A and 84C service between parts of the Hill District, Oak Hill, Oakland and the South Side.

83 Webster will operate between the Hill District, the VA Hospital, Oakland, Downtown and Wharton Square. Trips from the Hill District to Wharton Square will operate along Crawford Street, Webster and Herron avenues, Milwaukee Street, Bryn Mawr Road, Centre Avenue and Allequippa Street, and then follow the same route as 81 Oak Hill to Wharton Square.

Service along Bedford Avenue between Herron Avenue and Kirkpatrick Street will be discontinued.

The Port Authority site includes both the current bus designations and the new designations, where applicable. Visitors to the site also can sign up for email alerts to receive advance notice of route changes or to use an online form to ask questions through the customer service department. The Port Authority has added more customer service staff, who can be reached at 412/442-2000.

—Peter Hart

Filed under: Feature,Volume 43 Issue 1

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