Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway


The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway is a two-lane bus-only highway serving the city of Pittsburgh and many of its eastern neighborhoods and suburbs. It was named after Martin Luther King Jr. in recognition of the eastern portion of the route's serving many predominantly African-American neighborhoods, such as Wilkinsburg and East Liberty. It is owned and maintained by the Port Authority of Allegheny County.
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, under its BRT Standard, has given the East Busway corridor a Bronze ranking.

History

Originally occupied by a railroad line, planning for the East Busway began shortly after the Port Authority of Allegheny County purchased the Pittsburgh Railways Company in 1964. The original segment of the busway opened in February 1983, running between Downtown Pittsburgh and Edgewood, a length of 6.8 miles.
In 2003, the busway was extended into Swissvale by 2.3 miles, making its current length 9.1 miles.
In July 2013, the East Busway was discussed in the context of the Mon Fayette Expressway.

Routes

Following the naming convention of each busway being designated by a color, bus routes that use the East Busway begin with a "P" for purple. However, the P13 is colored purple and uses a "P" designation, but does not use the busway; instead, it travels via Route 28. The P1 is the main route, operating seven days a week and running the full length of the Busway between Swissvale and Downtown Pittsburgh, making all stops, before running a short loop through the central business district. It is the busiest Port Authority bus route by ridership. This route is supplemented by the P2, which runs on weekdays only and terminates in Wilkinsburg.
All busway routes travel to downtown Pittsburgh, making a loop around before returning via the busway. The one exception to this is the P3, which starts in Swissvale, but leaves the busway via the Neville Street Ramp, serving the business district of Oakland and terminating at Robinson Street.
Many of the Port Authority's express and suburban Flyer routes also use the busway, primarily during weekday rush hours. The busway enables these routes to bypass the heavily congested Parkway East, making for faster trip times. The East Busway is also used by some Westmoreland Transit routes, which run further into the Pittsburgh suburbs, ending in the cities of Greensburg and Latrobe in Westmoreland County.
As of October 2018, the Port Authority bus routes that use the East Busway are as follows:
Route NumberRoute NameDestinationRoads Traveled
P1East Busway All StopsSwissvale station
P2East Busway ShortWilkinsburg station
P3East Busway-Oakland5th Av & Robinson StNeville St/5th Av
P7McKeesport FlyerMcKeesport Transportation CenterEdgewood Av/Rankin Blvd/Kennywood Blvd
P10Allegheny Valley FlyerHarrisonRoute 28/Freeport Rd
P12Holiday Park FlyerHoliday ParkPenn Av/Parkway East/Golden Mile Highway
P16Penn Hills FlyerAlpha Ice Complex, HarmarBuses travel either via Leechburg Rd or Universal Rd.
P17Lincoln Park FlyerNadineLincoln Av/Mt Carmel Rd
P67Monroeville FlyerMonroeville MallWilliam Penn Highway
P68Braddock Hills FlyerMonroeville MallBrinton Rd/Braddock Av/James St
P69Trafford FlyerViaduct Way, TraffordArdmore Blvd/Airbrake Av/Broadway Blvd
P71Swissvale FlyerSwissvale stationSavannah Av/Braddock Av/Woodstock Av
P76Lincoln Highway FlyerOlympia Park and RideArdmore Blvd/Lincoln Hwy/Long Run Rd
P78Oakmont FlyerAlpha Ice Complex, HarmarLaketon Rd/Verona Rd/Allegheny River Blvd

Stations