Pittsburgh: Transportation

Approaching the City

The 3-million-square-foot Pittsburgh International Airport opened in 1992. This state-of-the-art facility moves more than 14 million travelers in nearly 400,000 aircraft each year; it has 100 gates served by 20 passenger and 9 freight airlines. Taxis and buses provide transportation to the Golden Triangle, about 15 miles away.

The Pittsburgh area is at the center of an extensive highway system focused around Interstates 70, 80 and 76/376 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike) which run east and west, and Interstate 79/279 that runs north and south. Improvements to the Southern Beltway, the Findlay Connector, and the Mon-Fayette Expressway south of the city were recently completed and improvements to I-279 from the city to the airport area are ongoing. A recent renovation of the Fort Pitt Tunnels, which go through the base of the cliff of Mt. Washington connecting I-279 north of the city to south, was completed in early 2005 and greatly helped traffic congestion. Amtrak provides train service and Greyhound provides bus service into Pittsburgh.

Traveling in the City

The city center is confined in size by the three rivers and may be traversed on foot. The Port Authority Transit of Allegheny county (PAT) serves the city of Pittsburgh, all of Allegheny County and portions of five neighboring counties with 1,066 buses, 83 light rail vehicles, 4 incline cars, 75 other vehicles, and 457 ACCESS vehicles for elderly and handicapped riders. PAT services 228,454 passengers on an average weekday and had an approximate ridership of 68 million in 2004. There are 15,879 stops of which 256 are shelters or stations, and 64 Park and Ride lots with 14,850 parking spaces. Bus fare for adults is $1.75 for a one-way trip, and just 50 cents more buys one a transfer to a connecting line or a ride back home.