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North Shore Connector
The North Shore Connector is a light-rail extension opened in 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The connector extends the Pittsburgh Light Rail system from its previous terminus at Gateway Center Station in the Central Business District to the new North Side Station and Allegheny Station on the North Shore by way of a tunnel under the Allegheny River. The Connector extends the light rail system's "Free Fare Zone", enabling passengers to ride to and from Pittsburgh's rapidly growing North Shore neighborhood for free.
Planned since the late 1990s, the North Shore Connector received federal funding on February 6, 2004 and had crews complete the initial bore under the river on July 10, 2008. The Connector had a "soft opening" on Friday, March 23, 2012, with regular service beginning March 25, 2012. The final cost of the project was $523.4 million.
The North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh evolved from a "sea of asphalt" in the 1990s to a bustling extension of the central business district reflecting approximately one billion dollars of investment and construction in the first decade of the 2000s. The North Shore Connector links Pittsburgh's previously 25-mile light rail network to the new businesses and attractions of the North Shore, serving commuters, visitors, and sports event attendees alike.
The North Side Station serves PNC Park (1.75 million annual fans) and the Community College of Allegheny County (7,200 students). The Allegheny Station serves residents in Allegheny West and Manchester, as well as visitors to Acrisure Stadium (500,000 annual fans, excluding concerts), the Carnegie Science Center (700,000 annual visitors), Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (250,000 annual visitors) and the Rivers Casino. During weekdays, downtown-destined vehicle commuters use the Connector by parking in one of the many North Shore parking facilities and completing their commute on the Connector.
Other businesses and attractions served include the Del Monte corporate headquarters (600 employees), Equitable Resources (450 employees), the SpringHill Suites Marriott Hotel and other nearby hotels, Stage AE North Shore Amphitheater (Indoor rock club plus outdoor amphitheater with lawn for 5,500 visitors opening December 2010), the Andy Warhol Museum (90,000 visitors), and many other night spots and restaurants.
The North Shore Connector project attracted considerable controversy on both the local and national level. The points of contention included whether the North Shore Connector was the best way to extend Pittsburgh's light rail network; whether the North Shore Connector would prove to be competitive with existing roads, bridges, and trails in attracting commuters; and whether the project's long-term benefits to the region would justify its cost. Its supporters argued that any enhancement of public transportation infrastructure in the region should be welcome if it decreases regional reliance on automobiles, especially given the uncertainty of future fuel prices and the paucity of parking in the central business district, while opponents have argued that the project's small scope and large budget constitute a waste of government spending.
Locally, it was argued that the Pittsburgh Light Rail network probably deserved to be expanded, but that the most logical extension would be an eastward one, not a northward one. The "Spine Line", a proposed eastward extension reaching from the Central Business District to Oakland, was abandoned in part due to its prohibitive projected cost of over $1 billion and its estimated 15-year planning and construction schedule. The North Shore Connector, by comparison, could be built quickly and with a substantially smaller budget. As one local columnist wrote, "People argue the T line should have gone to Oakland first, and they're right...The North Shore Connector is our consolation prize."
On the national level, the project attracted controversy due to its cost and its use of federal funding. The project's original budget was estimated at $350 million, but it increased to $435 million by 2006, and to more than $550 million by 2009, later revised down to $528.8 million in 2010. (The final cost was $523.4 million.) Eighty percent of the funding was provided by the U.S. federal government.
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North Shore Connector
The North Shore Connector is a light-rail extension opened in 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The connector extends the Pittsburgh Light Rail system from its previous terminus at Gateway Center Station in the Central Business District to the new North Side Station and Allegheny Station on the North Shore by way of a tunnel under the Allegheny River. The Connector extends the light rail system's "Free Fare Zone", enabling passengers to ride to and from Pittsburgh's rapidly growing North Shore neighborhood for free.
Planned since the late 1990s, the North Shore Connector received federal funding on February 6, 2004 and had crews complete the initial bore under the river on July 10, 2008. The Connector had a "soft opening" on Friday, March 23, 2012, with regular service beginning March 25, 2012. The final cost of the project was $523.4 million.
The North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh evolved from a "sea of asphalt" in the 1990s to a bustling extension of the central business district reflecting approximately one billion dollars of investment and construction in the first decade of the 2000s. The North Shore Connector links Pittsburgh's previously 25-mile light rail network to the new businesses and attractions of the North Shore, serving commuters, visitors, and sports event attendees alike.
The North Side Station serves PNC Park (1.75 million annual fans) and the Community College of Allegheny County (7,200 students). The Allegheny Station serves residents in Allegheny West and Manchester, as well as visitors to Acrisure Stadium (500,000 annual fans, excluding concerts), the Carnegie Science Center (700,000 annual visitors), Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (250,000 annual visitors) and the Rivers Casino. During weekdays, downtown-destined vehicle commuters use the Connector by parking in one of the many North Shore parking facilities and completing their commute on the Connector.
Other businesses and attractions served include the Del Monte corporate headquarters (600 employees), Equitable Resources (450 employees), the SpringHill Suites Marriott Hotel and other nearby hotels, Stage AE North Shore Amphitheater (Indoor rock club plus outdoor amphitheater with lawn for 5,500 visitors opening December 2010), the Andy Warhol Museum (90,000 visitors), and many other night spots and restaurants.
The North Shore Connector project attracted considerable controversy on both the local and national level. The points of contention included whether the North Shore Connector was the best way to extend Pittsburgh's light rail network; whether the North Shore Connector would prove to be competitive with existing roads, bridges, and trails in attracting commuters; and whether the project's long-term benefits to the region would justify its cost. Its supporters argued that any enhancement of public transportation infrastructure in the region should be welcome if it decreases regional reliance on automobiles, especially given the uncertainty of future fuel prices and the paucity of parking in the central business district, while opponents have argued that the project's small scope and large budget constitute a waste of government spending.
Locally, it was argued that the Pittsburgh Light Rail network probably deserved to be expanded, but that the most logical extension would be an eastward one, not a northward one. The "Spine Line", a proposed eastward extension reaching from the Central Business District to Oakland, was abandoned in part due to its prohibitive projected cost of over $1 billion and its estimated 15-year planning and construction schedule. The North Shore Connector, by comparison, could be built quickly and with a substantially smaller budget. As one local columnist wrote, "People argue the T line should have gone to Oakland first, and they're right...The North Shore Connector is our consolation prize."
On the national level, the project attracted controversy due to its cost and its use of federal funding. The project's original budget was estimated at $350 million, but it increased to $435 million by 2006, and to more than $550 million by 2009, later revised down to $528.8 million in 2010. (The final cost was $523.4 million.) Eighty percent of the funding was provided by the U.S. federal government.