Pittsburgh to Oakland Bus Rapid Transit Taking Shape, Seeking Funding

"Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority has submitted the region’s updated Bus Rapid Transit proposal to the Federal Transit Administration," reports Ed Blazina.

The authority is seeking $97.75 million in funding from the Small Starts program. The entire system would require an investment of $195.5 million to build dedicated traffic lanes between Oakland and Downtown Pittsburgh, with buses arriving every 3.5 minutes at peak hours, among other infrastructure changes.

Project planners also submitted the project for funding last year, but didn't receive funding despite a high rating. "The authority refined the project by finishing about 30 percent of the design and resubmitted it for the next round of grants," according to Blazina. The article includes more details about the project and changes that have been implemented since last year's submission.