Wednesday, February 27, 2013

35 Routes Adjusted on March 17

Port Authority makes routine changes to its schedules four times per year.

Schedules for approximately 35 different bus routes will be adjusted on Sunday, March 17, 2013. Descriptions of the changes are included below, including links to new schedules.

Routes not listed will not be impacted.

For questions or assistance, dial Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or for TTY, 412-231-7007.

  • 8 Perrysville: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 14 Ohio Valley: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 16 Brighton: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 17 Shadeland: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 18 Manchester: The entire schedule is rewritten.
  • 20 Kennedy: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 21 Coraopolis: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 22 McCoy: Weekday trip times are adjusted.
  • 24 West Park: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 44 Knoxville: Trip times are adjusted. Weekday evening frequency is changed from every 35 minutes to every 40 minutes.
  • 52L Homeville Limited: Trip times are adjusted. The round trips that arrive Downtown at 6:15 a.m. and 6:45 a.m. will operate five minutes later, as will the 8:10 a.m. inbound trip. The 3:45 p.m. outbound trip will operate five minutes earlier. The 4:45 p.m. outbound trip and round trips arriving Downtown at 5:45 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. will operate five minutes later.
  • 53 Homestead Park: Routing and stops within The Waterfront is changed. Trip times are adjusted and on weekdays the evening trip frequency is changed from every 60 minutes to every 80 minutes. Additionally, the first weekday outbound trip is converted to an outbound 53L trip, which will depart Downtown at 8:30 a.m. and serve The Waterfront in addition to the rest of its routing.
  • 53L Homestead Park Limited: Trip times are adjusted. Certain 53L trips will now serve The Waterfront: the outbound trips that leave Downtown at 7:10 a.m. and 7:50 a.m., the inbound trip that arrives Downtown at 5:25 p.m. and the round trips that arrive Downtown at 6:15 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Additionally, two new trips are added and will also serve The Waterfront: an outbound trip leaving Downtown at 8:30 a.m. and an inbound trip arriving Downtown at 4:45 p.m.
  • 59 Mon Valley: Trip times are adjusted. All 59 trips that begin at Library Street at Braddock Avenue will now begin at Baldridge Avenue past 6th Street at the high rise.
  • 60 Walnut-Crawford Village: Trip times are adjusted. The seven-minute layover at McKeesport Transportation Center is eliminated on inbound trips (toward Crawford Village). Inbound trips will now use 5th Avenue and Huey Street between Walnut Street and the Transportation Center, with two stop changes. Routing at Olympia Shopping Center is changed, with a stop added at Lifespan.
  • 61A Wilkinsburg-Forbes Ave: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 61B Braddock-Swissvale: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 61C McKeesport-Homestead: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 61D Murray: Trip times are adjusted. Additionally, three weekday morning inbound trips are added.
  • 65 Squirrel Hill: Trip times are adjusted. Additionally, the 6:45 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. round trips will operate five minutes earlier. The inbound trip arriving Downtown at 8:45 a.m. will operate five minutes later.
  • 67 Monroeville: On weekdays, four morning inbound-only short trips (from Hay-Penn in Wilkinsburg to Downtown Pittsburgh) are added. Also on weekdays, three afternoon outbound-only short trips (from Downtown Pittsburgh to Sawyer Way in Wilkinsburg) are added. The weekday outbound trip leaving Downtown at 8:52 a.m. will operate 11 minutes earlier, leaving Downtown at 8:41 a.m.  Saturday frequency is changed from every 60 minutes to every 60-70 minutes. On Saturdays, the inbound trips arriving Downtown at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. will now begin at Hay-Penn in Wilkinsburg (the corresponding outbound trips will not change). On Sundays, the inbound trips arriving Downtown at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. will now begin at Hay-Penn in Wilkinsburg (the corresponding outbound trips will not change).
  • 69 Trafford: Trip times are adjusted. On weekdays, the round trip that arrives Downtown at 6:30 a.m. will operate five minutes earlier.
  • 71A Negley: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 71B Highland Park: Trip times are adjusted. Note: The printed version of this schedule contains an error on the trip times of the last Sunday outbound 71B trip. The PDF schedule linked here contains the correct trip information. 
  • 71C Point Breeze: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 71D Hamilton: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 77 Penn Hills: Trip times are adjusted. Sunday morning trip times are changed to better assist 86 Liberty through Homewood.
  • P7 McKeesport Flyer: Trip times are adjusted.
  • P12 Holiday Park Flyer: The first a.m. inbound trip will operate five minutes earlier. All a.m. outbound trips and p.m. inbound trips are rerouted between the East Busway and the Parkway East to better accommodate reverse commuters. These P12 trips will use Penn Avenue and William Penn Highway, serving all posted stops en route, and enter/exit the Parkway East at Churchill.
  • P16 Penn Hills Flyer: Trip times are adjusted.
  • P67 Monroeville Flyer: Trip times are adjusted.
  • P69 Trafford Flyer: Trip times are adjusted.
  • P76 Lincoln Highway Flyer: Trip times are adjusted.
  • O1 Ross Flyer: Trip times are adjusted.
The next round of quarterly schedule adjustments will take place in June 2013.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Updated: Bus Routes Detour for S. Highland Bridge Closure

Two Port Authority bus routes will detour for approximately six months starting Monday, March 4 due to the closure of the S. Highland Avenue Bridge in Shadyside.

The 71B Highland Park and 75 Ellsworth will detour beginning at approximately 9 a.m. that day. Detours will continue around-the-clock as the bridge is demolished, removed and replaced by a new structure. Buses are expected to resume regular routing around September 10, 2013. During the detour, the 71B will use Shady Avenue instead of S. Highland Avenue through Shadyside, and 75 will detour off Ellsworth between East Liberty Busway Station and College Avenue.

Although the S. Highland Avenue Bridge spans the East Busway, busway service will not be immediately impacted. It is expected that several weekend closures of the busway will occur later this year as the bridge project progresses. Details on those closures will be announced separately as they occur.

Please note: As of March 1, the detour has been slightly changed from its original routing. Use the link below to view the updated details.

View complete details on 71B and 75 detours, including bus stop changes.

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

Thursday, February 14, 2013

February Planning & Stakeholder Meeting Canceled

Port Authority of Allegheny County's Board of Directors has canceled its Planning & Stakeholder Relations Committee meeting scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday, February 20.

The Performance Oversight Committee meeting will still be held February 20 at 8:30 a.m. in the Neal H. Holmes Board Room, 345 Sixth Ave., 5th Floor, in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Presidents Day Service Information

Port Authority of Allegheny County will provide regular weekday bus, light rail and incline service on Presidents Day (Monday, Feb. 18).

However, the Authority’s Downtown Service Center on Smithfield Street will be closed Monday in observance of the holiday.

The Customer Service phone line will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday. Port Authority's Twitter account will not be staffed on Presidents Day.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Port Authority Board Approves Leadership Change; Interim CEO Will Serve During Executive Search

The Port Authority Board of Directors voted this morning to terminate Steve Bland's contract as CEO effective immediately. The Board named Chief Financial Officer Ellen McLean as the Interim CEO while it conducts a search for qualified candidates.

During this period of transition, riders and those who rely on public transportation in Allegheny County will not be negatively impacted.

Ms. McLean has served as CFO since October 2010 and supervises multiple departments, including Financial Planning and Budgets, Grants and Capital Programs, Accounting and Treasury, Information Technology and Purchasing/Materials Management. Additionally, she serves as trustee for the Authority’s three pension plans.

Before joining Port Authority, Ms. McLean was managing director for Infrastructure Initiatives at the Urban Land Institute in Washington, DC, and served as the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Pittsburgh from 1999 to 2005 during the administration of Mayor Tom Murphy. She was responsible for managing the City’s $450 million budget, and served as executive director of the City’s Comprehensive Municipal Pension Trust Fund and treasurer of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. Prior to that, she served as the City’s assistant director for the Office of Management and Budget, and assistant director of the Finance Department.

Over the course of her career, she has also served as a consultant in the areas of strategic and financial planning for public entities, nonprofits and foundations, including Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Pittsburgh Foundation and the Three Rivers Arts Festival.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree in English from Duquesne University and a Master of Public Management degree in Financial Management from the H.J. Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She is a resident of Pittsburgh.