Expansion Possible For "T" System
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Could the Port Authority of Allegheny County's "T" system be expanded into the North Hills? Or maybe out to the airport?
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and others recently met with an engineer to lay out possible options, although Fitzgerald stresses that everything is very preliminary.
It was a year ago last week that the North Shore Connector opened. The Connector takes the "T" under the Allegheny River and into the North Shore.
"The question is what do we do next?" said Fitzgerald.
He says one option would start at the North Side Station and go alongside Interstate 279 into the North Hills.
"Run a line up into the North Hills, all the way into Cranberry, kind of along the route of 279," he said.
It would not, however, replace the current HOV lane.
The second option would connect to the Allegheny Station near the casino.
"Kind of along Route 65, Ohio River Boulevard, toward the airport," said Fitzgerald. He says it would cross the Ohio River near McKees Rocks and then go out to Pittsburgh International.
Neither option would be cheap. He says it would take both federal and state money.
The North Hills Route could cost $1 to $1.5 billion, according to Fitzgerald. He says the Airport Route could cost $2 billion.
To give you some perspective, the North Shore Connector cost $517 million.
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