THE PITTSBURGH BUSWAY SYSTEM

The experience of the Port Authority of Allegheny Council (PAT) in building and operating busways deserves closer examination, including as it does the successful completion of the South Busway and planning and construction of the longer and more complex East Busway. The most important link in the South Busway was a 1600 meter long tunnel through Mount Washington, paralleling the Liberty Tunnel. PAT modernized the 75-year old Mount Washington Trolley Tunnel, equipping it with a new reinforced roadway, new streetcar track, and drainage, lighting and ventilation facilities. The tunnel now carries streetcars and buses. Part of the busway, including the Mount Washington Tunnel, operates in a mixed mode with streetcars. In these segments, trolleys have the right of way, and are equipped with electronic switching devices to clear traffic signals at points where the busway and streetcar tracks merge. East Busway will start at the disused Penn Central Railroad station in the central business district of Pittsburgh, and continue to the eastern suburb of Wilkinsburg, traveling on what used to be the Penn Central tracks. The original four rail tracks have now been reduced to two, with the busway sharing its right-of-way with the railroad. The busway will bypass congestion on city streets, including an expressway which parallels the busway and is generally congested at peak hours because all traffic has to pass through two narrow tunnels. The bus journey will take 12 minutes instead of the previous 40 to 45 minutes in rush hour. With six stops and seven interchanges, the busway will be used by routes serving 16 neighborhoods in the city and 27 suburban communities. (Author)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/25073860
• Corporate Authors:

  International Road Federation

  525 School Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20024
• Publication Date: 1982-2

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 3
• Serial:
  • World Highways/Routes du Monde
  • Volume: 23
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Route One Publishing Limited
  • ISSN: 0964-4598
  • Serial URL: http://www.worldhighways.com

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Busways; Express buses; Land reclamation; Public transit; Railroad tracks; Reconstruction; Streetcars; Tunnels; Urban highways
• Old TRIS Terms: Reclamation
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; Railroads; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00349502
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 30 1982 12:00AM