Meetings This Week: South Pittsburgh's Transit Revitalization Investment District Study

This week, the City of Pittsburgh will begin its South Metro Area Revitalization through Transit (SMART) Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID) planning study.

Pittsburgh's Department of City Planning, the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the office of Rep. Chelsa Wagner are among the lead organizations in this initiative.

Two public meetings on the subject will be held this week:

• Tuesday, October 26, from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Warrington Recreation Center in Allentown (accessible via the 44, 48 or 54C bus routes - note that Brown Line also serves the area, with that service ending shortly after 6 pm)
  
• Wednesday, October 27, from 6pm to 8 pm at St. Catherine’s McCann Hall in Beechview (on the T's Red Line).

Members of the community are encouraged to attend the meetings to share their views on development near transit stations and infrastructure in South Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

Service Adjustments for Nov. 21, 2010

Starting Sunday, November 21, 2010, schedules for 46 Port Authority routes will be adjusted.

Port Authority adjusts schedules four times during the year to improve service, and many of November's adjustments will be made in response to rider feedback.

No new routes will be renamed/rerouted for the Transit Development Plan in November.

For a list of routes that will be adjusted in November, click here. Please note that schedules with full details are not presently available -- look for them online and at schedule racks in the coming weeks.

Penn Station Reopens This Weekend

Port Authority plans to reopen the closed portion of the Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway between Grant and 26th Streets this Saturday, Oct. 16.

The section has been closed to bus traffic since July due to the ongoing reconstruction of the busway, causing a bus detour onto Liberty Avenue.The closing is scheduled to end Saturday morning, weather permitting.

At that time, buses no longer will be detoured onto Liberty Avenue, temporary bus stops along Liberty Avenue will be removed and riders may resume use of Penn Station.

Even after the busway reopens, construction activity will continue in this area and other sections through the remainder of the year.

For more details on East Busway service, visit www.portauthority.org or call Customer Service at 412-442-2000 (TTY 412-231-7007).

Fare Proposal Revised, Supplemental Public Hearing & Comment Period Announced

Port Authority of Allegheny County has scheduled a supplemental public comment period and two-hour hearing due to an adjustment in its fare proposal.

The change involves eliminating the proposed premium fares on some routes and instead increasing the overall Zone 2 fare.

These changes relate to Port Authority's broader proposal to counter a statewide transportation funding shortfall. Port Authority faces a $47.1 million shortfall in its fiscal budget. The Authority's Board proposes a drastic 35% reduction in service and fare increases to help offset the shortfall.

The Authority's Board plans to vote on the fare and service proposal in November. Under the proposal:

• Fares: Zone 1 fares would increase by 25 cents to $2.25; Zone 2 fares would increase by 50 cents to $3.25. No premium fares would be charged at this time. Fares would increase on Jan. 1, 2011. To view the full revised fare proposal, click here.
  
• Service: Authority bus and T service would be reduced by 35 percent, resulting in loss of some routes, loss of trip frequency and elimination of bus service to some communities. These changes would be enacted in March.

The supplemental public comment period will run from Oct. 13 through 4 p.m. on Nov. 12. Comments will be accepted by mail or online at www.portauthority.org.

A public hearing only on the fare change will be held on Nov. 3 from 9-11 a.m. in the Authority's Board Room.

For more information, call Customer Service at 412-442-2000 (TTY 412-231-7007) or click here.

Port Authority Postpones Service Cut Vote; Move Gives State Leaders More Time to Resolve Transportation Funding Shortfall

Port Authority of Allegheny County's Board of Directors today postponed a vote on reducing service until November to give state leaders more time to resolve the transportation funding crisis.

The Board now will consider a proposal to reduce service by 35 percent and increase fares during its Nov. 24 meeting. As a result, fares still would increase in January but any changes in service would not occur until March.

"Legislators in both Houses and on both sides of the aisle have said that the statewide transportation funding crisis is very real, is very serious and must be solved in a comprehensive manner," said Port Authority CEO Steve Bland. "They’ve also been very clear that the likelihood of doing so before the election is all but non-existent."

The Authority's proposal involved a combination of actions intended to help counter the statewide shortfall. The shortfall is felt by transit agencies, PennDOT and other entities responsible for road and bridge work. The state's funding gap largely is due to the federal government's decision not to approve tolling of Interstate 80.

The proposal includes reducing transit service by 35 percent, a fare increase and hundreds of layoffs.

• Fares: Initially proposed to increase by a quarter in Zones 1 and 2 on Jan. 1. This timeframe does not change under the Board's decision.
  
• Service: Proposed to be reduced by 35 percent across Allegheny on Jan. 9 - this now would not occur until March.

For more information, visit www.portauthority.org or call Customer Service at (412) 442-2000 or for TTY, (412) 231-7007.