NEW DOWNTOWN BUS LANES TO BE INSTALLED

Published on May 19, 2025

City of Pittsburgh - Primary Seal

NEW DOWNTOWN BUS LANES TO BE INSTALLED – TRAFFIC PATTERN CHANGES BEGIN MAY 19

Phased Work to Support Bus Rapid Transit Improvements

PITTSBURGH — Beginning Monday, May 19, Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) will begin installing red bus lanes along the Downtown portion of the University Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. These dedicated lanes mark the first major milestone in optimizing service reliability and reducing congestion for thousands of daily riders.

What to Expect

  • Pavement Markings: Installation of permanent pavement markings began May 12 and will continue through both day and night shifts.

  • Bus Lane Installation: Red lanes will be installed in five phases, beginning May 19. Each phase will involve a combination of daytime and overnight work, new traffic patterns , and impacts to bus stops.

  • Traffic Pattern Shift: Once installation is complete:

  • Note: All work is weather-dependent and subject to change. Weekly updates will be available at prt-brt-newshub.prezly.com.

Installation Schedule & Traffic Impacts

Phase 1 – Liberty Ave (Fifth to Sixth)

Starts:  

  • Red bus lane installation (northeast/inbound direction) on Liberty Avenue

  • Sixth Ave (Liberty to Wood) will be closed

  • Buses will not stop at::

  • Pedestrian access maintained

Phase 2 – Sixth Ave (Grant to Centre)

Starts: 

  • Eastbound (outbound) red bus lane added to Sixth Avenue

  • One lane closed near Mellon Green

  • Two-way traffic maintained

  • No bus impacts

  • Pedestrian access maintained

Phase 3 – Sixth Ave (Wood to Grant)

Starts: Wednesday, May 21 at 7 a.m. | Expected Completion By: End of week 

  • Eastbound (outbound) red bus lane installation

  • Sixth becomes bus-only eastbound (outbound) between Liberty and Grant

  • General traffic will be limited to westbound (outbound) travel between Grant and Wood

  • Buses will not stop at:

  • Pedestrian access will be maintained opposite the work zone.

Phase 4 – Fifth Ave (Grant to Liberty)

Starts: Tuesday, May 27 at 8 p.m. | Expected Completion By: Wednesday, May 28 

  • Westbound red lane installation

  • Westbound traffic redirected outbound (eastbound) 

  • Vehicles share bus lane from Market to Liberty

  • Buses will not stop at:

  • Pedestrian access will be maintained opposite work zone.

Phase 5 – Fifth Ave (Sixth to Grant)

Starts: Wednesday, May 28 at 8 p.m. | Expected Completion By: By end of week 

  • A red bus lane will be installed Westbound (inbound)

  • General traffic travels eastbound (outbound) between Market and Grant

  • General traffic will share a travel lane with buses between Market Street and Liberty Avenue.

  • Buses will not stop at:

  • Pedestrian access maintained on both sides


 This installation is a key part of PRT’s larger vision to deliver reliable, and more efficient experience for riders throughout the region.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Pittsburgh Regional Transit
Melissa Rubin
 Director of Public Relations
Cell: 412-523-5834
Email: mrubin@rideprt.org

City of Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure
Jacob Williams
 Press Officer
Cell: 412-667-8264
Email: Jacob.Williams@pittsburghpa.gov

 

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