Construction work has begun at Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Negley Station on the East Busway, where improvements to the popular transit stop in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside are expected to be completed over the next several months.
Port Authority’s plans include a new ramp and stairs from South Negley Avenue, new inbound and outbound platforms, a covered waiting area, LED lighting and features to improve pedestrian safety.
Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said the improvements will make the station more welcoming, more accessible and safer, while also potentially spurring future development near the station.
“Negley Station may be the first station being improved, but it certainly will not be the last,” Brandolph said. “We’re excited for this project and the others that will soon follow.”
Work is expected to be completed by this fall. For the next three months, the ramp and stairs from Negley Avenue to the station will be closed, as will that section of sidewalk on Negley Avenue. The intersection of Summerlea and Pierce streets also will be closed. The entrance to Negley Station will remain open at Summerlea Street.
Elizabeth-based Plavchak Construction is handling the project and will work weekdays from about 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Busway riders traveling inbound will not be affected by construction. Outbound riders will board at stop A. Outside the station, the stop for the inbound 64 bus at Negley Avenue and East Busway Steps will be temporarily discontinued.
Brandolph said the East Busway is “one of the most important corridors in our system,” and Port Authority is hoping this upgrade will spur denser development near Negley Station. The East Busway carried about 24,000 passengers a day before the pandemic, making it the most heavily used transit line in the region, according to Port Authority ridership data from 2018.
County officials have expressed desire to build denser housing and office space with other amenities near the busway, so more residents can live and work nearby without needing cars.
The project was initially supposed to coincide with repairs to the Negley Avenue Bridge over the busway, which is in poor condition and has come under controversy since photos surfaced of the wooden posts wedged under the bridge. Port Authority also wants to install stairs on the north side of the station up to Negley Avenue, but repairs to the bridge must come first.
Work on that bridge is delayed as the city seeks funding and continues to work with Norfolk-Southern Railroad.
