The upcoming PRTX University Line is so much more than a bus rapid transit project

The Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) recently announced that their draft Bus Line Redesign is ready for viewing and public feedback. They are proposing a number of changes to Allegheny County’s bus system that will aim to address the current transportation needs of residents. From updating the naming convention to micro-networks to new routes (that don’t all need to go into Downtown or Oakland), the changes will create a revamped system for us to learn and to use.

Many of the Bus Line Redesign proposals are still being ironed out, as people are just learning about how their trips may be affected and beginning to take a deep dive into the details and compiling feedback. But one change that has already been through years of public engagement and has received funding is the PRTX University Line, also known as the Bus Rapid Transit project. 

University Line aka PRTX aka Bus Rapid Transit

While the University Line will stand out from other PRT routes with its own branding and dedicated bus lanes, the project will also completely redesign the streetscapes from curb to curb of both Fifth and Forbes Ave between the Cathedral of Learning and Downtown. In addition to the dedicated bus lanes, the project will also include protected bike lanes and pedestrian improvements such as new ADA curb ramps, wider sidewalks, and bump outs. 

The bike lane section of the PRTX project is set to start in 2025 and wrap up by 2027. Once the 2.6 miles of bike lanes are complete, they will be the longest continuous protected bike lane network in the City of Pittsburgh, creating a seamless bike connection along a corridor that currently feels daunting to ride.

Below is a break down of some of the bicycling changes to expect along the PRTX line between Downtown Pittsburgh and the Cathedral of Learning. 

During our Advocacy Network Gathering on September 24, we hosted representatives from both the PRT and DOMI to go over what these changes will mean for bicycling the corridor. These images are taken from their presentation. To view the complete block-by-block PRT/DOMI presentation on the bicycling component of the University Line, click here.

Find out about future bike/ped advocacy related activities and how to get involved on our Advocacy Page.

Years of work from PRT and DOMI, input from residents of Uptown and Oakland, as well as continued advocacy from numerous organizations (including BikePGH), community feedback and the adoption of the 2016 Complete Streets Policy went into shaping this final product.

While the bike lanes will connect Downtown to the Cathedral in both directions, for the sake of this blog, we’re going to start in Downtown. From Diamond St heading outbound, there will be a two-way protected bike lane that will continue along Fifth Ave to Magee St. At Magee, outbound bicyclists will turn south and connect to protected bike lanes along the left side of Forbes Ave toward the Birmingham Bridge.

A typical section along Fifth and Forbes in Uptown will remove a motor-vehicle lane and feature raised bike lanes at the sidewalk level to the left of automobile parking (with a buffer from the door zone), as well as bump outs at intersections to shorten pedestrian and bicyclist crossing distances and slow cars down. While not shown in these images, they are also planning exclusive bike signals at intersections where cars cross the bike lanes.

A stretch of raised bike lanes for such a long length is new in Pittsburgh, and as of writing, it’s still unclear who will be responsible for maintaining them during the winter snow and ice season. In Pittsburgh, building owners are responsible for sidewalk maintenance, but the City maintains streets and their bike lanes. On the lead up to the anticipated 2027 completion, we’ll ensure that the City figures out what equipment and operations are needed to accommodate this new infrastructure.

Continuing eastbound, the bifurcated bike lanes on Fifth and Forbes will reconnect into a two-way protected bike lane on Fifth Ave at Moultrie St, just before the Birmingham Bridge. From here it will then transition into a shared use path to make the climb into Oakland. The wide shared-use path will continue to the top of the hill at Craft Ave. At Craft Ave, the multi-use path will end, and transition back to two-way protected bike lanes, occupying the space that is currently the contra-flow bus lanes on Fifth Ave.

This two-way cycle track will be street-level and be protected by concrete pills similar to what is currently on the Penn Ave bike lanes in Downtown. Additionally, there will be exclusive bike signals at intersections where Fifth Ave motor-vehicle traffic needs to turn across the bike lanes. It’s worth noting that the Fifth Ave motor vehicle lanes through the heart of Pitt will not only have fewer through lanes, they will also include turning lanes where appropriate, yielding an overall slower street from the notoriously fast 4-lane configuration seen today.

The PRTX project technically ends at Bellefield St, just past the Cathedral of Learning. Unfortunately, this leaves a two block gap between the future bike lanes and two important streets on the bike network, Neville St and Ellsworth Ave. While outside the scope of the project, the City’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure are working on solutions to ensure this critical gap is connected when the project gets built out in 2027.

Forbes Ave, specifically between Schenley Plaza and Craig St will also see some changes with the addition of a dedicated bus lane, but for the most part the bike lanes will remain the same as they are today.

Finally, DOMI is looking into other bicycling connections along the corridor, including a legitimate connection from Uptown to the Eliza Furnace Trail under the Birmingham Bridge via Brady St.

2027 seems so far away, but the changes coming will dramatically change how Pittsburghers who ride bicycles get around, connecting neighborhoods and business districts with protected bike lanes like never before. When the idea of this project launched over a decade ago, it was unclear if bike lanes would even be included in the redesigned Fifth and Forbes. But thanks to forward thinking PRT and DOMI staff, and years of advocacy, using a Complete Streets approach to designing the streets will sure pay off. There have been so few opportunities in Pittsburgh such as the PRTX project to create a continuous long stretch of on-street bike infrastructure, and while it took years to get to this point, we now see the finish line on the horizon.

Provide Feedback to PRT’s Bus Line Redesign

To weigh in on the PRT’s Bus Line Redesign, they have created multiple public engagement opportunities for feedback, all found on their website.

Notable are two events:

• Oct 16: Super Pop Up – Join PRT on October 16th at Schenley Plaza to learn about the Draft Network 1.0 and give your input!
• Oct 24: Online Public Meeting – Join PRT online for a meeting to review the Draft Network 1.0 and give your input!

Additionally, there are numerous neighborhood specific “Pop Ups” around the County. There’s too many to list here, so be sure to check out the PRT website to find one near you.