The City of Pittsburgh is located in south-western Pennsylvania. Its location, history, and its variegated topography have contributed to its reliance on various forms of transportation from rivers to railways to highwaysto public transit. Its population has declined significantly over the last 50 years and the city and region have struggled to maintain its transportation infrastructure. Its transit system has remained vital compared to some of its peer cities due to employment that has remained strong in the central city. After losing much of its heavy industry employment in the 1980s, the city and region are currently in the midst of an economic renaissance as its employment base broadens to build upon growing assets such as world class healthcare facilities, universities and cultural attractions. Particularly in the North Shore section of the city, this development is being facilitated by transportation improvements. Significant road and parking improvements have been put into place. The North Shore Connector is thename given for an extension of Allegheny County's 25- mile light rail system from the central business district to the North Shore section of Pittsburgh. The 1.2-mile North Shore Connector project includes tunnelling underneath the Allegheny River with a tunnel boring machine. Precision boring will be required to avoid disturbing existing sewer lines and building foundations and drilling through soft riverbed soils along an alignment with significant horizontal and vertical curvature. The project is expected to play a significant role in creating an enhanced pedestrian and transit environment for Pittsburgh's rapidly developing North Shore area. For the covering abstract see ITRD E139491.
Abstract