Norfolk Southern Releases PVC Project Designs

Map of PVC project locations.

Courtesy of Norfolk Southern

PITTSBURGH - Along with Michael Baker International, Norfolk Southern has released the designs of four projects in Pittsburgh to allow for double-stacked freight cars.

According to a report in Pittsburgh Union Progress, Norfolk Southern expects to start work on two of the projects this year. These involved the city, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and North Side groups “because the railroad has received a state grant of $20 million to help pay for $28.3 million worth of work.” Three project designs were finished that would allow for higher trains. These Pittsburgh Vertical Clearance (PVC) projects include raising the height of the West North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue bridges on the North Side, modifying the design of the Amtrak station in Downtown, and a new pedestrian bridge through Allegheny Commons on the North Side. NS is responsible for construction during the projects, but “the public bridges will be turned over to the city after the work is finished.”

However, advisor to North Side community groups and a principal with Q Development Rick Belloli said that there are “still other bridges that have to have work done on them. This is a long term process for the railroad.” On the South Side, Norfolk Southern already has a line with double-stacked cars. The Class I wants to create a second route “for redundancy when there are derailments or maintenance projects that cause delays.” By having this second route, NS could increase its operations through the North Side from 20-25 trains daily to 40-50 trains daily.

This second route would cut through neighborhoods and business districts, and nearby organizations are worried about hazardous material from potential derailments. As a result, the Northside Leadership Conference, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and Manchester Citizens Corp. are involved due to their “concern about the physical changes the railroad work could make in five historical districts.” However, Advisor Belloli remarked the neighborhood is satisfied with the final designs. Norfolk Southern will install a pedestrian bridge in Allegheny Commons as well as make modifications from the original design to allow access to businesses near the West North Avenue Bridge as a result of mediation. With PennDOT’s involvement, any concerns about increasing inclines on approaches to bridges were resolved.

According to a release from the Pittsburgh Mayor’s office, these four projects are separate from the Columbus Avenue Track Lowering Project (which will be completed as a separate project). The PVC projects are as follows:

• Allegheny Commons Pedestrian Bridge: Located on the west side of the park, the pedestrian bridge was removed in 2013. With construction expected to start in the spring, the new design is a steel through-girder superstructure with a vertical clearance of 21 feet, 4 inches. It will have 6-foot approach paths, making it ADA-compliant. Crews will install four new ornamental fixtures at either end of the bridge.

• Amtrak Station: Over the course of nine months, construction will begin in late spring/early summer 2025 to “retrofit the beams of the northwest trainshed canopy over the freight line” that will allow for the passage of double-stacked cars. Crews will trim existing girders and install. new exhaust chute framing and panels. They will also apply protective coatings to the girders and exposed steel over both tracks.

• West North Avenue Bridge: The West North Avenue Bridge will be replaced with a single-span reinforced concrete spread box beam structure that is 2 1/2 feet higher than the current bridge. This is expected to take place in spring 2026, and crews will work on raising the incline on streets and sidewalks as well as constructing planting areas in Allegheny Commons at W. North Avenue and Brighton Road.

• Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge: The new bridge will be a single-span steel pony truss structure that measures 2 feet, 9 inches higher than the existing bridge (which measures at 18 feet, 3 inches currently). Crews will raise the street and sidewalk grades. Construction is expected to start in spring 2027.

Additional details and renderings can be found in the PDF below, courtesy of Norfolk Southern.