Chief Executive Officer

Dear Friends,

The long anticipated tunnel boring phase of Port Authority’s North Shore Connector Project is now underway.

However, the purpose of this letter is not to give you a status report on this project, but rather to tell you how important this project is to Port Authority’s overall goal of improving its service.

I happen to live in the North Hills, and many of my neighbors say “what good is the project, it won’t benefit me?” I’d like to use this space to tell you how it will benefit the wider community, and allow the Port Authority to improve its overall operating efficiencies.

Of course, direct rail service to the rapidly developing North Shore from current “T” service areas is an obvious benefit. Access to facilities like PNC Park, Heinz Field, the Carnegie Science Museum, Andy Warhol Museum, and future Majestic Star Casino will improve regional access to these locations by reducing auto traffic volume. In addition, the North Shore has a number of office, hotel and entertainment venues in various stages of development. As the North Shore becomes, essentially, an extension of Downtown Pittsburgh, traffic and parking challenges will increase. The North Shore Connector will alleviate this problem by moving more people to transit. In addition, many people don’t realize that the Main Campus of the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) is only 2 blocks from the future Allegheny Station. Many CCAC students, staff and faculty currently use Port Authority service, and will find the “T” a convenient alternative.

For those who live North of Pittsburgh and don’t currently enjoy “T” service, there are also direct benefits. In much the same way many people who live east of the City now take advantage of lower-priced parking at the First Avenue Garage (with direct “T” connection) to travel into the Golden Triangle, North Side commuters will be able to use the 924 space SEA parking garage in much the same manner. This garage will have direct inside access to the “T” through the Northside Station, to be located in the garage’s basement.

In terms of the efficiency of Port Authority operations, the North Shore Connector will present an opportunity to implement “trunk and feeder” service on some North Side bus routes, where buses might “short-turn” at the Allegheny Station and return to the North, with passengers continuing into the Triangle via a rapid and direct rail link. Apart from reducing downtown bus congestion, such a design (used by most cities with rail and bus systems) will allow us to improve bus service frequency at no additional cost. For the rail system, the ability to store rail vehicles on new “tail track” beyond the Allegheny Station during mid-day hours will improve efficiency, as we will not have to run empty vehicles into the Downtown core for evening rush hours.

Finally, and not to be overlooked, is future vision. If “T” service to the Airport and/or North Hills is ever to be a reality, crossing the river is inevitable, and it will not get any less costly than the tunnel we’re constructing now. The North Shore Connector has been designed, and is being constructed, with such future extensions in mind.

So, for those of you who think the North Shore Connector is “just for Steelers’ games,” think again. It opens up a wealth of possibilities for mobility in the Pittsburgh region, well beyond the boundaries of the North Shore!

Sincerely,

Chief Executive Officer
Port Authority of Allegheny County