Port Authority plans for two light rail stations on the North Shore as part of a $400 million expansion came under fire yesterday from some city planning commission members, who raised concerns about access for North Side residents and the impact on the Carnegie Science Center.

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Planning commission Chairman Tom Armstrong said the proposed entrance to the North Side station near PNC Park does little to accommodate residents seeking to use the stop, which would be located in a parking garage.

Armstrong and city planning Director Susan Golomb also raised questions about the proposed entrance to the Allegheny Avenue LRT stop to be built near Heinz Field, indicating that it should be closer to the science center.

The questions and concerns came during a briefing in which Port Authority officials unveiled the plans for four new stations -- one in Gateway Center, one near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the two on the North Side -- as part of the North Shore Connector project.

Each of the stations would cost $5.5 million to $6 million to build, with three of the four stops below ground. The Allegheny Avenue stop would be the only one above ground, possibly with a ramp to Heinz Field.

Armstrong's chief complaint about the North Side station near PNC Park is that the only entrance would be located at General Robinson Street. He argued that there should be a separate entrance on Reedsdale Street to accommodate residents coming from the central North Side.

"I can't believe you would turn your back on the North Side residential community," he said. "This isn't strictly for PNC Park. This is for that vast neighborhood [on the North Side]."

Armstrong maintained afterward that North Side residents should be able to "walk down the hill directly into the building. They shouldn't have to walk all the way around the building."

He wants the Port Authority to consider converting an emergency exit at Reedsdale into a full entrance. But Henry Nutbrown, Port Authority assistant general manager, said that it would cost millions of dollars to do that to spare someone a walk of roughly 300 feet.

The underground station would be part of a city Stadium Authority garage now under construction at the site. It would feature a tiered mezzanine and elevator and escalator access to the platform -- components that would have to be duplicated on the Reedsdale side for a separate entrance, Nutbrown said.

He strongly objected to Armstrong's assertion that the Port Authority was turning its back on North Side residents, noting that the agency was trying to find funding for a second entrance.

"We regard the North Side community neighborhood as an integral part of our project," he said.

The chief objection to the Allegheny Avenue stop was that an entrance to be used for football games and other big events at Heinz Field would be closed at all other times. The entrance would face the Carnegie Science Center and would be located at the end of a long plaza designed to accommodate crowds waiting to board light rail vehicles after events.

On most days, the main entrance to the station would be at Allegheny Avenue. Golomb wondered why the event entrance won't be open at all times, given its proximity to the science center.

Science center officials share many of the concerns, said Craig A. Dunham, associate vice president, facilities planning and operations, for the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. They also would like to see an entrance facing the building.

"We're open 362 days a year, [average] close to 700,000 people a year, and we want to make sure [the station] functions to support year-round activity," he said.

The plaza and a proposed multistory, 1,700-space parking garage also could force the Port Authority to take part or all of the UPMC SportsWorks building near Heinz Field.

All could have a "significant impact" on the science center, its operations and activities at SportsWorks, Dunham said, adding officials are trying to work with the Port Authority to reach a resolution.

Nutbrown said the agency is willing to work with the planning commission and others to refine the Allegheny Avenue station. But as with the North Side station, he said any additional walk from the event entrance to Allegheny Avenue is minimal.

"We're open to ideas," he said. "The design is not complete and it is a good time to have these discussions."

The planning commission originally planned to vote on the design of the four stations in two weeks. But given the concerns raised yesterday, it has pushed that back to four weeks.

In the interim, Golomb plans to convene officials from the science center, the Pirates, the Steelers, neighborhood groups and other major players affected by the stations to discuss issues related to them.

Downtown, a new Gateway Center station would be built in a grassy triangle bounded by Stanwix Street, Liberty Avenue and Penn Avenue, across from Fifth Avenue Place. Much of the station would be framed in glass, with the Golden Triangle opening up to riders as they come into the station.