I'm surprised this wasn't mentioned in the thread yet...
http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yo...#axzz3HfORy3px
They want to tear down that dilapidated transit terminal and replace it with a more modern intermodal facility. I hope this is considered as a first step. What I think would be a nice add is a light rail line extending from First Side along the Mon River to McKeesport. Right now, there is no real direct link, not even a direct road, linking the two -- other than heading a little upstream to cross the Mon River at the Dravosburg Bridge to follow Rt. 837 through Duquesne/Whitaker, West Mifflin, Homestead, and Southside.
Such a line would serve as a trunk route linking Downtown with the McKeesport Transit/Intermodal Center. Along the way, you could have stops near the Edgar Thompson Works, Rankin (two stops), the Carrie Furnace, Hazelwood (two stops), and the PTC before reaching 1st Avenue. If the long-discussed Arnold rail line ever comes to fruition (and is ultimately a light rail line), maybe this could be an extension of such a line. We're already talking quite a few years into the future, so it's not like anything like this is gonna happen anytime soon. Just putting it out there for thought/consideration...