The Monongahela Incline will not be open for Saturday’s Light Up Night celebration because of supply chain issues.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit announced Thursday that the incline likely will open before the end of the year but not by this weekend. The agency had set Light Up Night as the goal for finishing an $8.1 million project to upgrade computer and mechanical operations and restore the look of the 1870s, when the incline opened.
“We had been hopeful that we would open in time for Light Up Night, but over the last week it became increasingly clear that would not be possible,” said CEO Katharine Eagan Kelleman. “No one is more disappointed in this news than me.”
PRT plans to operate additional shuttle buses Saturday between Mount Washington and Station Square.
Contractors have finished the aesthetic aspects of the project, but supply delays have left some of the mechanical elements incomplete. The state Department of Labor and Industry also has to inspect the work when it is completed.
“The team has been working around the clock to finish this project, yet there have been aspects that are simply out of our control, including the global supply chain and material delivery issues that have plagued so many capital projects throughout the country,” Kelleman said.
“The Mon Incline is an iconic piece of Pittsburgh history, but it’s also a historic transit vehicle that requires regular maintenance and upgrades. Completing this project is vital to its future operation.”
Before the pandemic, the incline carried 600,000 passengers a year. Although the incline may open before the end of the year, the project will not be finished. The agency doesn’t expect a backup generator to be delivered until early January, and the incline likely will have to be shut down again for as long as a week to install that item and finish other minor work.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.