Just days after announcing plans to close several Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus stops inside The Waterfront shopping mall in Homestead, county officials have reached a temporary agreement to keep the stops open.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said Monday that buses will continue to stop directly outside the Giant Eagle and Target stores at The Waterfront, despite earlier plans to end service there starting Oct. 19 — less than a month away.
“I want to thank all the parties involved for their willingness to come to the table. We have an agreement in principle to find a long-term solution to keep PRT service inside The Waterfront, and in the interim there will be continued service to existing stops,” Innamorato said in a release.
Routing for the 53-Homestead Park, 53L-Homestead Park Limited, 57-Hazelwood, 59-MonValley, 61D-Murray Short and 64-Lawrence-Waterfront was expected to be impacted after some developers of commercial properties located in The Waterfront requested a change due to traffic congestion. The bus stops on the public streets that run through the shopping complex were set to remain.
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, released a statement denouncing the change, saying that “removing bus stops from The Waterfront disregards the needs of thousands of riders.”
More than 400 people rely on the stops on weekdays.
Transit agency spokesman Adam Brandolph said a permanent solution remains up in the air as they look for other ways to mitigate traffic concerns.
Allegheny County officials declined to provide further comment beyond the press release.
Waterfront assistant property manager Emily Wittmer called the agreement a “temporary solution.”
Wittmer said that a group of local businesses will be meeting on Wednesday to discuss alternatives. She hopes to have a solution within the next few weeks.
Wittmer declined to say what local businesses were involved and what alternative plans are being explored.
“The bus routing and the stops immediately adjacent to the stores will remain status quo while we work with the property owner and those stores on a solution that will work for everyone, regardless of how long that will take,” Brandolph said.
