Pittsburgh transit authority preps for Red Line repair project

The Port Authority of Allegheny County in March will begin replacing nearly a mile of aging and deteriorating light-rail tracks and street pavement in Pittsburgh's Beechview neighborhood, the agency announced Wednesday.

Photo: Port Authority of Allegheny County

The authority will shut down a section of the Red Line light-rail route for six months starting March 27 to replace embedded tracks and street pavement in the center of Broadway Avenue.

The section being replaced has reached the end of its useful life and has required 22 costly repairs since 2008 to keep it open, port authority official said in a press release.

"We must repair the track and concrete now or these conditions will worsen and cause more intrusive service disruptions for the thousands of people who rely on the Red Line each day," said Ellen McLean, the authority's chief executive officer.

To reduce impact on the public, port authority officials reduced the construction time from 18 months to six. In addition, the agency is providing a financial incentive for the contractor to finish ahead of schedule, officials said.

The authority will host a public meeting Feb. 18 to present project information and answer questions.