Pittsburgh Regional Transit expanding bus and light-rail service for NFL Draft weekend
When the NFL Draft comes to Pittsburgh at the end of April, Pittsburgh Regional Transit will be expanding its bus and light-rail service to help accommodate the masses of people attending the three-day event.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit's Planning & Stakeholders Relations Committee met Thursday morning where details were laid out surrounding increased service for the NFL Draft weekend that's expected to bring an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 people to the city.
The three-day event, which will take place from April 23-25, is expected to be the largest in Pittsburgh history and will have a large geographical footprint split between the city's North Shore and Point State Park.
PRT said the agency is getting $350,000 from a nonprofit managed by VisitPittsburgh that will help cover costs of expanded service, including expected maintenance spending.
The expanded service options will include increased light-rail frequency on the "T" from Downtown Pittsburgh to the South Hills and temporary bus routes that will service park-and-ride locations in all four directions surrounding the NFL Draft site on the North Shore.
The NFL Draft Theater and Main Stage will be positioned near Acrisure Stadium on the city's North Shore and are expected to take up a footprint that's larger than a football field.
The specific park-and-ride locations and frequency of increased light-rail service haven't been detailed, but VisitPittsburgh said it expects to release more details on the transportation layout surrounding the NFL Draft within the next week.
In other parts of the city, preparation for the NFL Draft is in full swing, including on the North Shore where dozens of trees are being removed to make way for the event setup and in Market Square, where a major redevelopment project is nearing completion.
