Wood Street T station to close for 2 weeks in Pittsburgh

The Wood Street light-rail station will be closed for two weeks starting next week while Pittsburgh Regional Transit completes four escalator replacements and an ongoing light-rail construction project.

The closure of the station, also called a T station, will begin in the morning of Dec. 8 and is expected to remain closed until 4 p.m. on Dec. 22, according to transit officials.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit said that riders should use the Steel Plaza or Gateway T stations while Wood Street is closed. Each is located just over three blocks away from the Wood Street station.

The transit agency does not expect the closure to cause any delays in service during the week, but said weekend service will be disrupted downtown while crews continue repair work in the tunnels under the Central Business District.

The weekend service disruptions do not coincide with any Pittsburgh Steelers home games.

Between 8 p.m. on Dec. 8 and morning on Dec. 11, as well as between Dec. 15 and Dec. 18, inbound rail service will terminate at Penn Station, which is located next to the Penn Station busway station and sometimes used during construction events.

Light-rail riders traveling to Gateway, North Side, or Allegheny stations should exit light-rail vehicles at Penn Station and board a free shuttle bus to Gateway Station, said transit officials. From Gateway, a rail car will operate to North Side and Allegheny stations.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit said during these same weekend stretches, outbound rail service from the North Shore toward downtown will terminate at Gateway Station.

Outbound light-rail riders continuing toward the South Hills should exit the railcar and board a shuttle bus from the temporary stop outside Gateway Station, which will drop riders off at Penn Station to board rail cars heading to the South Hills.

Weekend light-rail riders during these construction periods should allow for 30 to 45 minutes of additional travel time, said Pittsburgh Regional Transit.

The Wood Street project is part of a $13.5 million effort to replace nine escalators at three Downtown light-rail stations, and to improve performance and safety at the stations, according to Pittsburgh Regional Transit.