1. BRT in Pittsburgh: Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway
David E. Wohlwill, AICP
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Priority Bus Transit Conference
Washington, DC
June 24, 2009

2. Pittsburgh BRT Facilities

3. Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway

5. Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway
Links CBD and Oakland with Pittsburgh’s eastern neighborhoods and suburbs
9.1 miles, 9 stations and 1 stop
Proposed in Port Authority’s Early Action Program adopted in 1970
Initial 6.8-mile Downtown – Pittsburgh Oakland segment opened in 1983
Capital cost - $115 million with funding from local, state and federal sources
2.3-mile extension to Swissvale opened in 2003
Capital cost - $68 million with funding from local, state and federal sources including highway funds flexed to transit.

6. Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway
Busiest BRT facility with 25, ,000 weekday riders ( )
Allows buses to bypass severe congestion on major arterials and streets in Pittsburgh’s eastern communities
Built along active railroad line

7. Service Design 32 East Busway Routes
Basic service provided on 3 routes carrying 50% of riders:
EBA: Daily service on entire length of busway to Downtown Pittsburgh
EBS: Weekday peak period service from Wilkinsburg to Downtown Pittsburgh
EBO: Weekday service from Swissvale to Oakland (Pittsburgh’s educational, medical & cultural center)

8. Service Design
Other 29 routes operate on busway and exit at various locations to serve City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods and Allegheny County’s Eastern suburbs
Some routes receive and discharge passengers at intermediary stations, others pass through
Other Service:
100 through route which also operates on the West Busway
3 Westmoreland County Transit Authority routes operating non-stop on the busway

9. Express buses can pass local buses stopped at stations

10. Performance: Travel Times
Swissvale - Oakland
61B route using local streets: 26 minutes
EBO route on East Busway: 19 minutes
Wilkinsburg - Downtown
71C route using local streets: 54 minutes
EBA route on East Busway: 18 minutes

11. Performance: Operating Costs
Port Authority’s Non-BRT radial bus routes: $2.81/rider
Average for busway routes (East & West busway routes operating length of busways): $1.78/rider
EBA Route: $1.29/rider
LRT System: $4.41/rider

12. Performance: Energy Consumption
2005 Average for all buses 4 mpg
Hybrid electric buses mpg
Diesel bus on East Busway
(EBA route) mpg
Hybrid electric bus on East Busway
(EBA route) mpg

13. New Development along the East Busway
$740 million worth of development along East Busway 1983 – 2008
Scale of development comparable that experienced by rail lines in other cities
Comprised of new construction and renovation of older structures including vacant industrial buildings
This level of development is remarkable considering
Population loss in the corridor
Topographical and railroad barriers to development
Traditional absence of local and regional policies directing development along rapid transit lines (changed in recent years)

14. New Development along the East Busway
Expansion of medical sector from its traditional base in Oakland to the Corridor
Central location of several busway communities along made is appealing to retail developers
Popularity of East End neighborhoods with students and young professionals
Since 2000, the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and community groups have begun more pro-active planning for development in the corridor.

15. Examples of Development along the East Busway
Residential
Complex
Homewood
Professional
Offices:
Shadyside
Pennsylvanian
Apartments:
Downtown
Mixed Retail:
East Liberty

16. Baum-Centre Corridor
1.6 miles in length interfacing with five East End neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh
The Baum – Centre Corridor initially developed with an automobile orientation
As the corridor matured, many automobile- oriented uses closed, creating opportunities for new development
The corridor is attractive to developers
Proximity to Oakland (Pittsburgh’s cultural, educational and medical center)
Corridor’s function as a key conduit for access to and within Pittsburgh’s East End communities
Presence of the East Busway

17. Baum - Centre Corridor

18. City of Pittsburgh Plan for the Corridor

19. Maturing Corridor Dominated by Automobile-Oriented Uses

20. Three Nodes in Corridor

21. New Development in Corridor
Negley Station with
Centre Professional
Building in background
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

22. Development at Negley Station in Shadyside
Expansion of Supermarket and
New Condos at Negley Station

23. Eastside Development – East Liberty
East Side Mixed Use Development
(almost completed)
and East Liberty Station
First Whole Foods
Store in City of Pittsburgh

24. Proposal for New Station Serving the Corridor
Site for station serving
UPMC Hospital
Area of potential sites for
new station

25. Proposed BRT Improvements
On-street BRT between Downtown and Oakland
BRT treatments in Downtown Pittsburgh
Extension of the East Busway to Turtle Creek area

26. Manager of Extended Range Planning Port Authority of Allegheny County
Author Contact Information
David E. Wohlwill, AICP
Manager of Extended Range Planning
Port Authority of Allegheny County