The Bus Rapid Transit project planned between Oakland and downtown Pittsburgh received a $150 million grant this month from the Federal Transit Administration, which means Pittsburgh Regional Transit now has all funding in-hand to construct the $291 million system.
The project will include 23 new transit stations, dedicated bus lanes in both directions, and improved safety with the addition of wider sidewalks and bike lanes. More than 30,000 people a day use Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses each day in the Downtown-Uptown-Oakland corridor, PRT says.
The Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) will mean some key changes in Oakland. On Fifth (inbound) and Forbes (outbound), the far right lane will be for buses only — with the lanes painted red. On Fifth Avenue, the current opposing outbound bus-only lane will be turned into a two-way bike lane in Oakland and Uptown.
The plan calls for a core service operated across five bus routes that go east to Highland Park, Wilkinsburg, Braddock and McKeesport. Current regular bus routes 61A, 61B, 61C, 71B and P3 will become BRT routes.
Four other bus routes — the 61D, 71A, 71C and 71D — will turn around earlier, with their innermost point becoming Craft Avenue in Oakland, and will no longer directly serve the Uptown and Downtown neighborhoods.
In addition to the $150 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration, the BRT is being funded through the American Rescue Plan ($19.3 million), the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Program ($9.3 million), Allegheny County ($30 million), the City of Pittsburgh ($8.8 million), and PRT ($73.6 million).
In March, Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s board approved a $28 million contract with Independence Excavating Inc. for the first phase of construction in downtown Pittsburgh, which is expected to begin this fall.
Discussions about a Bus Rapid Transit system in Pittsburgh go back more than a decade.
Quality Inn site
Redeveloping the Pitt-owned Quality Inn site on the Boulevard of the Allies was supposed to be the first step in the ambitious Oakland Crossings project led by developer Walnut Capital.
In July 2022, Walnut Capital told members of the Oakland community that it hoped to start demolition of the former Quality Inn in the first quarter of 2023, in preparation for a new 12-story, 426-unit apartment building and 33,000-square-foot grocery store.
As we head into the third quarter of 2023, nothing has happened, but Pitt says it is still committed to developing the site, according to the Post-Gazette.
Pitt has owned the property for several years and leased it to the hotel, which closed in 2020. The University said in 2021 it wanted to build non-student housing at the site for faculty, staff and community members.
Walnut Capital first proposed the 18-acre Oakland Crossings development in South Oakland in 2021. The project proved controversial and finally last year, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey negotiated a compromise that included a 13-acre project with multi-unit apartment buildings on Halket Street, as well as at the Quality Inn and Isaly sites along the Boulevard of the Allies.
Then in January of this year, Walnut Capital said it was pausing the entire Oakland Crossings development because of high interest rates and construction costs, and labor shortages. Walnut Capital president Todd Reidbord told the Post-Gazette last week that the project remains “on pause right now.”
A Pitt spokesman told the Post-Gazette that the University is willing to work with other developers on the project. “The University of Pittsburgh continues to explore development partnership opportunities for the former Quality Inn site to determine the best solution to meet community needs for the area,” the spokesman told the PG. “The University remains committed to including housing and grocery amenities for the site.”
— Susan Jones
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