Weekend riders who use the light rail system in Downtown Pittsburgh can expect weekend delays of 30 minutes or more on most weekends through March.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit said Friday the Wood Street Station will be closed from 8 p.m. Fridays until the start of service on Mondays. The only exception will be the March 16 weekend, which will have normal service all weekend for St. Patrick’s Day.
On other weekends, inbound riders will have normal service to Steel Plaza, but from there trains will go to the normally closed Penn Station. Riders can board a shuttle bus there to the Gateway Station, then get back on the light rail to the North Side if they want.
The pattern will be reversed for riders from the North Side, who will get off at Gateway, ride a shuttle to Penn Station and reboard the light rail if they want to continue.
The disruption will allow crews to continue work underground in the tunnel to upgrade the plinth, the concrete beam under the light rail tracks. That project began in late 2022.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.