Riders Show Up to Port Authority’s 837 Corridor Public Engagement Sessions, Help Drive the Rapid Transit Planning Process Forward.
Years of planning and organizing from Mon Valley riders on our Beyond the East Busway campaign has led to the identification and prioritization of three key corridors for safer, faster, quality transit infrastructure. All three of those corridors were uplifted by riders as top priorities in the Port Authority’s recently- adopted NEXTransit long-range plan. And now, the Port Authority has begun planning for improvements in the 61C corridor from Homestead to McKeesport, along Rt 837 and Lysle Blvd.
You can see the Port Authority’s interactive map and information about the proposed project here.
“[Route 837 improvements] can be transformational in that corridor,” Ms. Wiens said. “We should make this project as impactful as it can be.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette documents the grassroots organizing that won riders the opportunity to make transit in the Mon Valley safe and comfortable, and for buses to get priority on the streets to ensure that buses are fast and reliable.
On Dec 7th, more than a dozen PPT members and residents of Homestead, Duquesne and McKeesport joined the Port Authority’s public input session to identify opportunities for infrastructure and bus service improvements. Riders also highlighted concerns, particularly around the proposed removal of every other bus stop along 8th Ave in Homestead without any clear process for evaluating the impact of stop removal. PPT has long called for the Port Authority to assess and publish clear data on the impact of bus stop consolidation on metrics like access to nearby social services, ridership levels, impact on riders with disabilities and other protected classes, and on the safety of riders navigating longer distances with questionable infrastructure to get to their bus stops.
We applaud the Pittsburgh Post Gazette editorial board’s recent accolades for the Mon Valley project here, which highlights what riders have long been saying about the high need for quality transit in the region.
You can read more reporting about the public meeting and proposals by the Port Authority to improve the corridor here:
Port Authority presents initial plans to improve service, bus stops between Homestead and McKeesport (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 12/7/21, Ed Blazina)
Port Authority wants bus-only lanes and other upgrades for Homestead-McKeesport corridor (Pittsburgh CityPaper, 12/11/21, Ryan Deto)
It’s not too late to weigh in! The Port Authority will continue to collect feedback on this project into the New Year.
If you want our analysis of what is in the Port Authority’s plan and what opportunities there are for improvement, check out this blog.