PRT proposes route changes
Big changes are on board for public transportation in the Lower Valley.
By TAWNYA PANIZZI
TribLive
Pittsburgh Regional Transit earlier this year rolled out its Bus Line Refresh initiative, working to revamp its network to “match how people travel today,” said Jake Stockman, PRT senior planner.
Ridership has dropped 40% since covid, he said.
Changes are expected to restore service historically offered by PRT and create more hyper-local service.
“The P10 bypasses Blawnox and other local communities,” Stockman said. “With the changes, we would be going into those towns.”
PRT officials are in the final stages of revising a draft based on public feedback garnered this spring. They expect to release an updated proposal in coming weeks.
An initial plan would expanded service and affect riders in Aspinwall, Blawnox, O’Hara, Sharpsburg and more.
Preliminary changes include: • A new route, D5, that would link neighborhood business districts in Aspinwall, Sharpsburg, Etna and Millvale. Connections to Oakland, East End, North Hills and the North Side would be available. The line would retain a link to Downtown Pittsburgh and run every 40 minutes.
• A proposed N1 Allegheny Valley route would replace the Route 1 Freeport Road line. It would create new connections between Tarentum and East Liberty, while retaining connections to The Waterworks shopping plaza. The route would increase weekday and Saturday frequency to 30 minutes and Sundays to 40 minutes.
The shopping plaza would have four bus routes traveling to and from it.
The D5 would retain portions of the existing Routes 1 and 2 to provide riders a way to the Allegheny Valley communities of Harmar, Tarentum, New Kensington and Harrison.
In addition to the D5, there would be direct access from Sharpsburg to Pittsburgh on the D91, which would run every half-hour. Likewise, there would be direct access from Aspinwall to Downtown every 20 minutes on the D75.
The proposed N1 route would travel from East Liberty to the Allegheny Valley via Freeport Road.
It is expected to create new connections and increase service frequency, and also improve reliability due to the service design and shortened alignment ending at East Liberty.
The existing Route 1 would be shortened and function as a feeder to the East Busway, Stockman said.
“The main change would be the Route 1 covers everything between North Side and Tarentum,” Stockman said. “It’s one of the longest routes in the system at 20 miles, which makes it more prone to delays. We’d basically be splitting that route in half.”
By running a shorter route, all riders would retain access to a bus but some would require a transfer, he said.
Under the new proposal, service is prioritized where it will have the greatest impact, particularly for people without transportation, Stockman said.
Bus Line Refresh is being shaped by rider and operator feedback and also by what PRT can deliver with the resources it has available, he said.
PRT faced a $100 million deficit in 2026 and anticipates a projected $1.8 billion shortfall over the next 10 years.
Through a series of public pop-up events this spring, PRT collected about 20,000 public comments to help shape the changes.
The agency is expected to make final adjustments before a series of public hearings and a board vote this year. Changes would go into effect in 2027.
