The Mount Washington Transit Tunnel, a short-cut for buses and the T between Downtown Pittsburgh and neighborhoods south of the city, reopened Saturday night to commuters who use the Port Authority.

Light rail vehicles resumed regular service at 7:15 p.m., and buses were expected to use the tunnel again at 8 p.m., the Port Authority said.

The tunnel had been closed since July 26 to replace 480 feet of light rail track and concrete. 

On Tuesday, the authority had announced that the $1.8 million project had been pushed back a few days to give Michael Facchiano Contracting extra time to allow the concrete to cure.

The project involved replacing the track and concrete between the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel and South Hills Junction stop.

The work, which had shifted inbound light rail cars to the Allentown line, caused significant delays for about 10,000 light rail riders and 5,000 bus riders on weekdays and 5,000 light rail and 2,000 bus riders on weekends. The work also caused detours for nine bus routes that use the South Busway.

The Wabash Tunnel, which had been open only to inbound traffic during construction, will resume its regular inbound/outbound schedule beginning Monday, the Port Authority said Saturday.

First Published: August 24, 2019, 11:52 p.m.