Detour & Service Information for New Year's Weekend

Approximately 20 Port Authority bus routes will be detoured in Downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday, December 31 due to First Night activities. Additionally, riders using transit this weekend should be aware of holiday service details.

First Night-related detours are scheduled to begin at approximately 10 a.m. and will be in effect through the end of service that night. Riders should allow for extra time when traveling on New Year’s Eve.

Complete detour information is posted here and also available in special brochures at major schedule rack locations.

Port Authority bus, T and incline service will follow schedules as noted below for the New Year holiday weekend:

• Saturday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve): Saturday schedules in effect. Customer Service phone line will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. View detours for First Night.

• Sunday, January 1 (New Year’s Day): Holiday/Sunday schedules in effect. Customer Service phone line will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Monday, January 2: Weekday schedules in effect. However, the Downtown Service Center will be closed in observance of New Year’s Day and Port Authority's Twitter account will not be staffed. Customer Service phone line will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information, call Port Authority Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or the TTY number, 412-231-7007, or view our First Night PDF brochure for detour information.

Port Authority Holiday Service Information

Port Authority of Allegheny County bus, T and incline service will follow schedules as noted below for the Christmas and New Year holiday weekends:

• Saturday, December 24 (Christmas Eve): Saturday schedules in effect. Customer Service phone line will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  
• Sunday, December 25 (Christmas Day): Holiday/Sunday schedules in effect. Customer Service phone line will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  
• Monday, December 26: Weekday schedules in effect. However, the Downtown Service Center will be closed in observance of Christmas. Customer Service phone line will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Port Authority's Twitter account will not be staffed.
  

• Saturday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve): Saturday schedules in effect. Customer Service phone line will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Many Downtown routes will be detoured from about 10 a.m. through end of service due to First Night activities. View more information (PDF).
  
• Sunday, January 1 (New Year’s Day): Holiday/Sunday schedules in effect. Customer Service phone line will be open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  
• Monday, January 2: Weekday schedules in effect. However, the Downtown Service Center will be closed in observance of New Year’s Day. Customer Service phone line will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Port Authority's Twitter account will not be staffed.

Riders traveling Downtown on New Year’s Eve should note that many routes will be detoured due to First Night festivities and should allow for extra time when traveling. View a PDF brochure with First Night detour information.

For more information, call Port Authority Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or the TTY number, 412-231-7007.

Free T Rides Proposed Between Downtown & North Side T Station

Funding Agreement Will Provide Easier Commuting, Enhance Business Opportunities

The Stadium Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (SA) voted on December 21 to provide funding for free rides on Port Authority of Allegheny County’s light rail line between Downtown Pittsburgh and the soon-to-be-open North Side T Station. The North Side T Station is located at the West General Robinson Street Garage (WGRS Garage), which is owned by the SA.

“This agreement will benefit many segments of the community, from commuters who will save time and money on Downtown parking, to North Shore restaurants that will see increased business, to fans who want to attend sporting events, concerts and other special events on the North Shore, to tourists who will be able to more easily visit our city’s many attractions,” said Jeremy Waldrup, president/CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. “A free, frequent and fast transit link will have the effect of essentially extending the borders of Downtown Pittsburgh.”

The agreement will be voted on by Port Authority’s Board of Directors at its January meeting. Under the agreement the Stadium Authority would pay Port Authority $160,000 in year one, $165,000 in year two and $170,000 in year three to provide free fare to the general public at North Side T Station, with an option to extend the agreement for two more years. Funds for the agreement will be derived from parking fees generated by the WGRS Garage and surface lots owned and managed by the SA and ALCO Parking Corporation, which will be sharing costs. The free rides would be open to the general public as well as people using the parking garage.

This agreement will allow the SA to save money by eliminating its shuttle service between the North Shore and Downtown. The funds are expected to offset any lost cash fares from North Side Station, and Port Authority will also save on expenses associated with collecting fares at the station.

The fare agreement does not preclude other funding agreements or sponsorship agreements, and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is continuing to work with Port Authority to pursue naming rights agreements and other forms of private sponsorship.

“We see this agreement as a win-win, offering both cost savings to the participating agencies and a host of benefits to Port Authority riders and the community as a whole,” said Steve Bland, CEO of Port Authority. “Free T rides between North Side Station and Downtown will encourage more people to use public transit, provide a convenient link between these two areas and contribute to the continuing development on the North Shore.”

North Side T Station is scheduled to open for service in March 2012 as part of Port Authority’s North Shore Connector light rail extension project. A reconstructed Gateway Station in Downtown and new Allegheny Station near Heinz Field will also open at that time. Port Authority estimates ride time from North Side T Station to Gateway T Station will be approximately four minutes, with trains leaving the station about every four minutes during weekday peak.

Update: Time Change for Wood Street Station Closure This Weekend

Wood Street T Station will be closed for part of the weekend so that Port Authority contractors can conduct rail maintenance. During this time, all Downtown T service will begin and end at Steel Plaza Station. 

Please note that closure times have changed and that Wood Street Station will now be closed during the following times:

•   Saturday, Dec. 17 from approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
•   Sunday, Dec. 18 from approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Signs will be posted informing riders where to board service.

Special shuttle buses will not be provided during the closures, but riders may use regular Downtown bus service to travel between stations. Riders normally traveling inbound to Wood Street Station may catch any 61-series or 71-series bus outside Steel Plaza at Sixth Avenue and Bigelow Square, then take it to Sixth Avenue at Wood Street. To travel from Wood Street Station to Steel Plaza, riders may board any 61-series or 71-series bus at Sixth Avenue at Wood Street and ride it to Fifth Avenue at Ross Street. 

For more information, call Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or for TTY, 412-231-7007.

Toys For Tots Drive at Steel Plaza This Friday

Port Authority of Allegheny County along with Q92.9 FM and the U.S. Marine Corps will host its annual Toys for Tots drive in Downtown Pittsburgh this Friday, December 16.

New, unwrapped toys and cash donations will be collected from 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Friday at Steel Plaza T Station, located near the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Grant Street. The event will be held on the station’s mezzanine level and is open to the public – you don’t have to be a T rider or even a public transit user to help bring holiday cheer to underprivileged children.

Q92.9 FM radio personalities John Cline and Kerri Griffith will broadcast The Q Morning Show live from the T station during the drive.

Wood Street Station Closed for Next Two Weekends

Wood Street T Station will be closed for the next two weekends so that Port Authority contractors can conduct rail maintenance. During this time, all Downtown T service will begin and end at Steel Plaza Station.

Wood Street Station will be closed during the following times:

•    All day Saturday, Dec. 10 until Sunday, Dec. 11 at approximately 8 p.m.

•    All day Saturday, Dec. 17 until Sunday, Dec. 18 at approximately 8 p.m.

Signs will be posted informing riders where to board service.

Special shuttle buses will not be provided during the closures, but riders may use regular Downtown bus service to travel between stations. Riders normally traveling inbound to Wood Street Station may catch any 61-series or 71-series bus outside Steel Plaza at Sixth Avenue and Bigelow Square, then take it to Sixth Avenue at Wood Street. To travel from Wood Street Station to Steel Plaza, riders may board any 61-series or 71-series bus at Sixth Avenue at Wood Street and ride it to Fifth Avenue at Ross Street.

For more information, view our detour notices for Dec. 10-11 and Dec. 17-18, or call Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or for TTY, 412-231-7007.

Stakeholder Relations Committee Meeting Scheduled for Dec. 8

Port Authority of Allegheny County's Board of Directors has added a Stakeholder Relations Committee Meeting to its calendar for Thursday, December 8.

The meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. in the Neal H. Holmes Board Room, 5th Floor, 345 Sixth Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh, and is open to the public.

There are no other public meetings scheduled for this month.