Mount Washington Transit Tunnel to reopen by year’s end

The Mount Washington Transit Tunnel between Pittsburgh’s South Side at Station Square and South Hills Junction will remain closed at least another month.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit said in a news release Thursday the tunnel, where construction has been expected to be finished in October, should reopen “by the end of 2025.” Crews are adjusting a curved section of the track leading into the South Hills Junction end of the tunnel after a $26 million upgrade placed it too close to a bridge abutment.

PRT closed the 3,500-foot tunnel in February for track replacement and other improvements. The news release blamed the misplaced track on “a design issue.”

 Once the problem is corrected, PRT will test the tracks and train employees before opening the tunnel.

The closure has caused disruption for commuters in the South Hills because it is the only tunnel in the country used by buses and light rail vehicles.

Light rail vehicles on the Red, Blue and Silver lines have been rerouted through the normally dormant section of the Blue line that runs through Allentown on Warrington and Arlington avenues and across the Panhandle Bridge into Downtown without stopping at Station Square. A free light rail shuttle operates between Station Square and the First Avenue station.

Buses follow the same route through Allentown to Station Square and cross the Smithfield Street Bridge to Downtown. Outbound buses use the Wabash Tunnel.

In other weekend road construction:

• Nicholson Road – Single-lane restrictions will continue at the intersection with Wexford Bayne Road in Franklin Park on weekdays through Tuesday. Crews are working from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to install temporary signals and widen the road at the intersection. Flaggers are helping to move traffic through the area. The work is part of the $46.5 million project to reconstruct Interstate 79’s interchange with Route 910.
• Penn Avenue – Lane restrictions will occur in both directions between Shady Avenue and East Liberty Boulevard in Larimer from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays through late December. The restrictions will allow crews to do utility work.