PRT Will Close Mount Washington Transit Tunnel for Five Months Next Spring
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
South portal of Mount Washington Transit Tunnel
Courtesy of PRT/(Hhm8/Wikimedia Commons)
PITTSBURGH – Beginning spring 2025, Pittsburg Regional Transit plans to close Mount Washington Transit Tunnel for five months to allow for rehabilitation.
According to a release, PRT says it currently has five weeks left installing new tracks on part of its Red Line whilst making plans for next year’s closure. Recently, the board awarded a contract totaling $16.1 million to Mascaro Construction Company for the tunnel project. Beginning March 1st, crews will work to replace the concrete deck, embed new tracks, replace the electrical catenary wire and structural components, and repair the tunnel lining. This tunnel project comes as part of a larger series of light rail projects that have been scheduled over the next four years at the cost of $150 million. Among these projects is the rehabilitation of the Panhandle Bridge that crosses the Monongahela River into downtown Pittsburgh, which is estimated to take two years to complete at a cost of $68 million.
Chief Engineer Greg O’Hare has reportedly told the Performance Oversight Committee that “the tunnel work will cause the light rail system to be closed between South Hills Junction and Station Square.” Trains will be rerouted to the Allentown Line to Downtown Pittsburgh by way of the Panhandle Bridge.
Chief communications officer, Jim Ritchie, said, “We’ll take a lot of time over the rest of the year to get ready for this.” This includes informing light rail riders of the closure and having representatives hand out flyers on trains.
