Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway

Last updated

Martin Luther King Jr.
East Busway
MLK Jr East Busway near UPMC Shadyside, Pittsburgh (cropped).jpg
Three buses on the busway near UPMC Shadyside
Overview
Locale Pittsburgh
Termini
Stations10
Service
Type Bus rapid transit
System Pittsburgh Regional Transit
History
OpenedFebruary 1983
Technical
Line length9.1 mi (14.6 km)
Operating speed55 mph (89 km/h) (top)
Route map
Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway highlighted in purple
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Swissvale
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Roslyn
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Hamnett
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Hay Street
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Wilkinsburg
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Homewood
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East Liberty
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Negley
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ramp to Neville Street
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Herron
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Penn Station
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ramp to Downtown

Wheelchair symbol.svg All stations are accessible
Detailed diagram
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ramp to Braddock Avenue
 
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Swissvale
serving Rankin
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Swissvale Terminal
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Roslyn
serving Swissvale
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Washington Avenue
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Braddock Avenue
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Edgewood
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Hamnett
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Kelly Avenue
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Rowland Connector
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South Avenue
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Hay Street
(
former Wilkinsburg
PRR station
)
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Wallace Avenue
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Wilkinsburg
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Brushton Avenue
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Brushton Terminal
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Braddock Avenue
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Homewood Avenue
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Homewood
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Dallas Avenue
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Rainbow Street
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East Liberty Garage
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Dahlem Place
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Liberty Boulevard
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East Liberty
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Highland Avenue
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pedestrian bridge
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Negley
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Negley Avenue
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Aiken Avenue
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Baum Avenue
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Millvale Avenue
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ramp to Neville Street
CSX Schenley Tunnel
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Herron Avenue
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Herron
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28th Street
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ramp to 26th Street
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Penn Station BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg BSicon exTRAM.svg
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Wheelchair symbol.svg All stations are accessible

The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway is a two-lane bus-only highway serving the city of Pittsburgh and many of its eastern neighborhoods and suburbs. It was named after Martin Luther King Jr. in recognition of the eastern portion of the route's serving many predominantly African-American neighborhoods, such as Wilkinsburg and East Liberty. It is owned and maintained by Pittsburgh Regional Transit.

Contents

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), under its BRT Standard, has given the East Busway corridor a Bronze ranking. [1]

History

Plaque at Penn Station dedicating the Busway MLKEastBuswayPlaque.JPG
Plaque at Penn Station dedicating the Busway

Originally occupied by a railroad line, planning for the East Busway began shortly after the Port Authority of Allegheny County purchased the Pittsburgh Railways Company in 1964. [2] The original segment of the busway opened in February 1983, running between Downtown Pittsburgh and Edgewood, a length of 6.8 miles.

In 2003, the busway was extended into Swissvale by 2.3 miles (3.7 km), making its current length 9.1 miles (14.6 km).

In July 2013, the East Busway was discussed in the context of the Mon Fayette Expressway. [3]

Routes

Bus at Herron station Busway (31492662931).jpg
Bus at Herron station

Following the naming convention of each busway being designated by a color, bus routes that use the East Busway begin with a "P" for purple. However, the P13 (Mount Royal Flyer) is colored purple and uses a "P" designation, but does not use the busway; instead, it travels via Route 28. The P1 ("East Busway All Stops") is the main route, operating seven days a week and running the full length of the Busway between Swissvale and Downtown Pittsburgh, making all stops, before running a short loop through the central business district. It is the busiest Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus route by ridership.

All busway routes travel to downtown Pittsburgh, making a loop around before returning via the busway. The one exception to this is the P3 (East Busway-Oakland), which starts in Swissvale, but leaves the busway via the Neville Street Ramp, serving the business district of Oakland and terminating at Robinson Street.

Many of Pittsburgh Regional Transit's express and suburban Flyer routes also use the busway, but with stop restrictions, not picking up passengers at some busway stations in the inbound direction or dropping off passengers at some busway stations in the outbound direction. These routes operate primarily during weekday rush hours allowing buses to bypass the heavily congested Parkway East (Interstate 376), making for faster trip times. The East Busway is also used by some Westmoreland Transit routes, which run further into the Pittsburgh suburbs, ending in the cities of Greensburg and Latrobe in Westmoreland County.

As of February 2024, the Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus routes that use the East Busway are as follows: [4]

RouteRoute NameDestinationRoads TraveledNotes
  P1  East Busway All StopsSwissvale stationEast BuswayDaily, all-day service
  P3  East Busway-Oakland5th Av & Robinson StNeville St/5th AvWeekdays only
  P7  McKeesport FlyerMcKeesport Transportation CenterEdgewood Av/Rankin Bl/Kennywood BlWeekday peak hours only, stop restrictions
  P10  Allegheny Valley FlyerHarrisonRoute 28/Freeport Rd
  P12  Holiday Park FlyerHoliday ParkPenn Av/Parkway East/Golden Mile Hwy
  P16  Penn Hills FlyerAlpha Ice Complex, HarmarLeechburg Rd or Universal Rd
  P17  Lincoln Park FlyerNadineLincoln Av/Mt Carmel Rd
  P67  Monroeville FlyerMonroeville MallWilliam Penn Hwy
  P68  Braddock Hills FlyerForbes HospitalBrinton Rd/Braddock Av/James St
  P69  Trafford FlyerViaduct Way, TraffordArdmore Bl/Airbrake Av/Broadway Bl
  P71  Swissvale FlyerSwissvale stationSavannah Av/Braddock Av/Woodstock Av
  P76  Lincoln Highway FlyerOlympia Park and RideArdmore Bl/Lincoln Hwy/Long Run Rd
  P78  Oakmont FlyerAlpha Ice Complex, HarmarLaketon Rd/Verona Rd/Allegheny River BlWeekdays only, stop restrictions

Stations

Station NameNeighborhood/BoroughRoutesNotes
Penn Station Downtown  P1    P7    P10    P12    P16    P17    P67    P68    P69    P71    P76    P78   BSicon LOGO Amtrak2.svg Amtrak: Capitol Limited, Pennsylvanian
Greyhound no dog.svg Greyhound Lines
Herron Polish Hill   P1    P7    P10    P12    P16    P17    P67    P68    P69    P71    P76    P78  
Negley Shadyside   P1    P3    P7    P10    P12    P16    P17    P67    P68    P69    P71    P76    P78  
East Liberty East Liberty   P1    P3    P7    P10    P12    P16    P17    P67    P68    P69    P71    P76    P78  
Homewood Homewood, Point Breeze North   P1    P3    P7    P12    P16    P67    P68    P69    P71    P76    P78  
Wilkinsburg Wilkinsburg   P1    P3    P7    P12    P16    P67    P68    P69    P71    P76    P78   Park and ride: 748 spaces
Hay Street   P7    P12    P16    P67    P68    P69    P71    P76    P78  Located on spur to Hay Street
Hamnett   P1    P3  Park and ride: 128 spaces
Roslyn Street Swissvale   P1    P3  
Swissvale   P1    P3  Park and ride: 163 spaces

See also

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References

  1. "BRT Rankings". Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  2. Kitsko, Jeffrey (February 17, 2010). "Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway". Pittsburgh Highways. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  3. Schmitz, Jon (July 20, 2013). "Leading Mon-Fayette Expressway supporter changes lanes". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  4. "All Schedules". www.rideprt.org. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
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