Pittsburgh Regional Transit's University Line project enters next phase in Uptown
The Forbes Avenue drive from Downtown Pittsburgh to Oakland is getting a bit more complicated in Uptown as of Monday morning. The next phase of Pittsburgh Regional Transit's University Line project is now underway, but plenty of work still needs to be done before its estimated completion in 2027.
Once the entire project is complete, Pittsburgh Regional Transit's University Line is expected to serve over 30,000 daily riders.
A PRT spokeswoman said phase one of the project in Downtown started in 2023 and opened in July 2025.
Phase two began in Oakland back in January of this year, but now, crews have started working on Forbes Avenue, specifically between Jumonville and Brady streets.
On Tuesday, construction will also start on Fifth Avenue, between Pride and Jumonville streets.
Crews will be on site Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Navigating rush hour
Contractors will keep two travel lanes open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Street parking will remain available on the north side of Forbes Avenue, except during evening rush hours.
Parking will be suspended on both sides of Fifth Avenue between Pride and Brady streets.
Residents adjusting to more construction
Diane Jurewicz said she drives to Uptown to volunteer every Monday.
"I just live in the Strip District, and then it normally takes me about twelve minutes, and it took me about half an hour to get here," Jurewicz said. "And the worst is parking. Once I get here, where to park?"
People in Uptown seemed to have better luck navigating the area on foot. PRT said pedestrians should be able to walk through the area, and temporary ADA ramps are expected to be accessible.
While some bus routes will not serve stops during the work, temporary stops will be located at Jumonville at Watson, Fifth Avenue bus lane at Seneca, and Fifth Avenue bus lane at Moultrie.
"I get confused sometimes, and I'll be at an old bus stop, and I'll see buses riding past me, and I'm like, 'Yo, where am I supposed to stand at?'" PRT rider Bentley Saleem playfully said.
This step of phase two of construction in Uptown includes excavating and relocating water and sewer.
"We can't build a bus stop on top of existing infrastructure," PRT's director of public relations, Melissa Rubin, told KDKA-TV over the phone.
New, wider sidewalks, curbs, ADA-accessible ramps, and more will also be installed.
"We'll come back through in a future phase to install the new bus shelters with the transit amenities, transit-only lanes, traffic signals," said Rubin.
She explained it as a multi-step process within each phase, but it's a fully funded project that some riders said they're willing to wait for.
"I like that it's coming along, like, I see it happening," said Saleem.
PRT's work specifically along this portion of Uptown will last through the end of December 2025, when four new PRTX stations are expected to be ready in that area.