Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Wood Street Station on the light rail system will close for two weeks beginning Monday as part of a project to replace its escalators.
The triangular building above the underground station at Wood Street, Sixth Avenue and Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh already has limited access due to scaffolding that has been erected for a project to clean its exterior.
Through Oct. 20, the rail station will be closed so crews can remove four escalators, but trains will travel through the station without stopping and will serve all other Downtown stations. That work is part of a $13.5 million contract the agency has with Mosites Construction Co. to replace nine escalators in Downtown rail stations.
From Oct. 20-23, the tracks around the Wood Street stop also will be closed as part of another project to improve the system. During that time, inbound rail service will end at Penn Station, a section of track the agency normally doesn’t use. Riders headed to the Gateway, North Side or Allegheny stations will exit at Penn Station and take a free shuttle bus to Gateway Station, where the rail service will continue.
Also, outbound service from the North Shore will end at Gateway, and riders headed for the South Hills can take a shuttle bus to Penn Station.
Riders should add 30 to 45 minutes to their travel time due to this project.
The project to replace escalators should be finished by February. The elevator and stairs at Wood Street will remain open during the work.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.