[Brandon716]

KDKA has this news article, and if you click the link a video news update on the project with a tour of the tunnel extensions.

http://kdka.com/local/north.shore.connector.2.1097188.html



Jul 22, 2009 8:26 pm US/Eastern
Underground Look At North Shore Connector

The North Shore Connector project has reached the half-way point.

KDKA The North Shore Connector project
has reached its halfway point and is starting to look more like a subway than just holes in the ground and piles of dirt.

Some areas of the work are nearing final touches and KDKA-TV's John Shumway got an underground tour of the project.

The excavation for the new gateway station is about 40 percent complete and is looking like a subway station.

"In terms of the station platform and mezzanine area, it's going to be about 200 feet long we are about 40 feet from the surface right now," Winston Simmonds said.

Heading towards the Allegheny River, work has progressed to where the twin tunnels wait.

"We're getting ready to break in and we will pour a floor and walls to tie into the tunnels," Simmonds said.

Gone now, are all the conduits and pipes that fed the tunnel boring machine.

"Tunnel construction is complete. We have poured our base slab, our inverse slab, cleaned up the tunnel and just doing some clean up work," Simmonds said.

Beyond the tunnel on the North Shore, the path bears left and into the North Shore T-station, behind and under the General Robinson St. garage. The outbound track towards Heinz field is on the right while, the inbound path on the far left.

From the General Robinson Station, the rails head for daylight climbing steeply out of the ground and going air-born in time to clear Art Rooney Way, crossing behind Heinz Field and across Allegheny Ave. to the final station where you will get off.

[DBR96A]

Coo.

Next stop, a line back down to the West End and beyond, and another line up the Ohio River.

[Brandon716]

I don't honestly see why the west end needs to be served over a line going east. Oakland and the South Side need a line, although South Side would be hard to build in, as Oakland would be. I'd like to see a new rail lane added to the bridge that takes the T up to Arlington St and back down to SHJ, only with the tracks split to go down to South Side and use a bridge to link it up to Oakland, and another LRT line could be created in place of the East Busway with a stop in the Strip district.

[DBR96A]

I don't honestly see why the west end needs to be served over a line going east. Oakland and the South Side need a line, although South Side would be hard to build in, as Oakland would be. I'd like to see a new rail lane added to the bridge that takes the T up to Arlington St and back down to SHJ, only with the tracks split to go down to South Side and use a bridge to link it up to Oakland, and another LRT line could be created in place of the East Busway with a stop in the Strip district.

Of course a rail line is needed to the East End; I'm not disputing that. I was talking about future extensions of the North Shore Connector. And why not connect the West End? It's en route to the airport, and it has potential too.

[Brandon716]

Its a good idea in concept, but in my judgment the funds would be better served by building a line through South Side and up and over to Oakland. An airport connector shouldn't be considered until they serve more of urban Pittsburgh.

[Evergrey]

I've never understood why the North Shore Connector has been (partially) justified by the Port Authority and other political interests as the first segment for a future LRT line to the airport (of which there are no concrete plans)... it would need to make another river crossing... of the Ohio... to reach the Airport from the North Side. I would think the easiest route to the airport would be an extension west from somewhere along the existing LRT route south of Downtown... such as the present-day West Busway that terminates in Carnegie.

[Brandon716]

I just took the 28x airport flyer yesterday for a flight so I could visit family, and the bus had relatively few people on a business morning. It was 35 minutes of a ride from Liberty and Tito and essentially functions its purpose. I'm not sure why we need to build light rail to the airport when the city would be better served extending LRT to urban neighborhoods.

Again, creating a new rail lane for the Arlington Ave/Allentown line bridge, sending it through South Side, up to Oakland, and out through the East Busway through Shadyside and out would be a good idea. I would prefer it also circulate back up through Bloomfield and Lawrenceville and up to downtown again, connecting with the extension to the Convention Center they gave up on.

That should be the priority IMO. Then they could eventually seek service northward and further eastward. Westward is the least important corridor I can imagine to extend light rail service.

People keep talking about an airport line as if its important when its really not going to enhance the city or help traffic in any way, helping move people around the city is more important than shuttling visitors and travelers in and out of the city without any real benefit to the airport anyway.

Pittsburgh would feel like a larger urban center if its rail system were expanded in the urban regions. Being able to get between Shadyside, Bloomfield, Oakland, South Side, Downtown/north shore/convention center and the rest of the T system all by rail would make Pittsburgh a much more prominent urban center.

A line to the airport? Another wasteful project that might get 20k riders, I doubt it'd be as successful as the south hills T though considering its along a major highway system that already goes to the airport. We're talking about 20 miles worth of track that won't be worth it, and expensive when that could have been invested in the city.

[Wiz Khalifa]

I think I saw a map of a great proposal for expanded rail in Allegheny county somewhere. I will repost if I find it.

[BrianD]

In the City of Bridges, the decision to build yet another river crossing makes absolutely no sense.

[Brandon716]

The memories, oh the memories. Pittsburgh never let me down, it was always a charm. I hope to see the new Gateway Center station completed someday.

I miss the year I was able to ride the T to work, the urban ambience, the Pittsburgh charm, the topography of excitement. Oh how Pittsburgh has left its mark upon me.

If it weren't for the horrible dates and experiences with men maybe I would have been swept off my feet enough to stay. ;)

[Grego43]

If it weren't for the horrible dates and experiences with men maybe I would have been swept off my feet enough to stay. ;)

Wow, the men of Pittsburgh drove you to the arms Buffalo? My, how things have changed since I lived in the 'burgh. ;)

[Juicedog1313]

I think I saw a map of a great proposal for expanded rail in Allegheny county somewhere. I will repost if I find it.

Here's an interesting fantasy Subway map... I especially like the 2 loops that connect several east end neighborhoods with Downtown and Carson Street.

http://img140.yfrog.com/img140/9307/pghrailtransportedit.jpg

[Juicedog1313]

Since I am not a sports fan, I personally will have no reason to ever ride the North Shore extension.

[Brandon716]

Wow, the men of Pittsburgh drove you to the arms Buffalo? My, how things have changed since I lived in the 'burgh. ;)

The men in Pittsburgh aren't any worse/better than anywhere else, I just didn't find any success in my time there. Actually I met several cool friends, just nothing significant otherwise.

Although I'm not really dating anyone in Buffalo what-so-ever. I came here for a job opportunity that came about quite surprisingly, I never had plans to move to the Buff. But, now that I'm so close to Toronto it doesn't matter, I suppose, I just got my Nexus card recently and can pop across the border whenever I want with ease. I'm not even dating Americans anymore. LOL