Public transportation Downtown is served by
Pittsburgh Regional Transit's
Pittsburgh Light Rail system (known locally as the "T") and an extensive bus network. The Downtown portion of the subway has the following stations: •
First Avenue near First Avenue and Ross Street (elevated) •
Steel Plaza at Sixth Avenue and Grant Street (underground) •
Wood Street at the triangular intersection of Wood Street, Sixth Avenue and Liberty Avenue (underground) •
Gateway at Liberty Avenue and Stanwix Street (underground) Downtown is also home to the
Pittsburgh Amtrak train station connecting Pittsburgh with New York City,
Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. to the east and
Cleveland and Chicago to the west.
Greyhound's Pittsburgh bus terminal is located across Liberty Avenue from the Amtrak Station, in the
Grant Street Transportation Center building.
Highways Major roadways serving Downtown from the suburbs include the "Parkway East" (
I-376) from
Monroeville, the "Parkway West" (
I-376) from the
airport area, and the "Parkway North" (
I-279) from the
North Hills, and (
I-579) in Downtown Pittsburgh. Other important roadways are
Pennsylvania Route 28,
Pennsylvania Route 51,
Pennsylvania Route 65, and
U.S. Route 19. Three major entrances to the city are via tunnels: the
Fort Pitt Tunnel and
Squirrel Hill Tunnel on
I-376 and the
Liberty Tunnels.
The New York Times once called Pittsburgh "the only city with an entrance," specifically referring to the view of Downtown that explodes upon drivers immediately upon exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel. Also traveling
I-279 south and
I-376, the city "explodes into view" when coming around a turn in the highway.
Local streets Downtown surface streets are based on two distinct grid systems that parallel the
Allegheny and
Monongahela rivers. These two grids intersect along Liberty Avenue, creating many unusual street intersections. Furthermore, the Allegheny grid contains numbered streets, while the Monongahela grid contains numbered avenues. And, in fact, there are cases where these numbered roadways intersect, creating some confusion (i.e. the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 7th Street/6th Avenue). This unusual grid pattern leads to Pittsburghers giving directions in the terms of landmarks, rather than turn-by-turn directions.
Bridges Pittsburgh is nicknamed "The City of Bridges". In Downtown, there are 10 bridges (listed below) connecting to points north and south. The expanded definition of Downtown (including the aforementioned surrounding neighborhoods) includes 18 bridges. Citywide there are 446 bridges. In Allegheny County the number exceeds 2,200. ;
Downtown Bridges •
Fort Pitt Bridge carries
I-376 (Previously
I-279) between Downtown and the
Fort Pitt Tunnel •
Fort Duquesne Bridge carries
I-279 between Downtown and the North Shore •
Smithfield Street Bridge carries Smithfield Street between Downtown and the South Shore •
Panhandle Bridge carries the city's
light rail transit system between Downtown and the South Shore •
Liberty Bridge connects the
Liberty Tunnel to
I-579 Downtown •
Fort Wayne Railroad Bridge carries freight and
Amtrak trains from Downtown to the North Shore •
Veterans Bridge carries
I-579 from Downtown to the North Side •
Three Sisters Bridges •
Roberto Clemente Bridge (formerly 6th St Bridge) connects 6th Street Downtown to Federal Street on the North Shore at
PNC Park •
Andy Warhol Bridge (formerly 7th St Bridge) connects 7th Street Downtown to Sandusky Street on the North Shore at the
Andy Warhol Museum •
Rachel Carson Bridge (formerly 9th St Bridge) connects 9th Street Downtown to Anderson Street on the North Shore ;
Bridges of Expanded Downtown •
West End Bridge carries US Route 19 from the West End/South Shore to the North Shore/North Side just west of Downtown •
16th Street Bridge carries 16th Street from the Strip District to Chestnut Street on the North Side •
West Penn Bridge (pedestrian/bike-only) is part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail connecting the North Side to
Washington's Landing on Herr's Island •
30th Street Bridge connects River Avenue on the North Side with Waterfront Drive on
Washington's Landing at Herr's Island •
31st Street Bridge connects PA Route 28 on the North Side with 31st Street in the Strip District •
33rd Street Railroad Bridge connects the North Side to the Strip District and crosses Herr's Island •
South 10th Street Bridge connects the Armstrong Tunnel at Second Avenue just east of Downtown with the South Side at South 10th Street •
Birmingham Bridge connects East Carson Street on the South Side with Fifth and Forbes avenues in Uptown == Downtown districts ==