Due to access steps in poor condition and low ridership, Port Authority will permanently close Pennant Station on the light rail system’s Red Line in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood Feb. 15.

The authority said Tuesday that an inspection last fall found the concrete steps from Platt Avenue were in poor condition and another review recently found additional deterioration that caused engineers to recommend the steps be closed. Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said fencing and signs will be installed at the site on Feb. 14 to prevent people from using them.

Mr. Brandolph said part of the steps, which are original construction from when the station was built 33 years ago, are owned by Pittsburgh and part by the agency. The authority decided to close the steps and the station because it served fewer than 10 passengers a day before the COVID-19 pandemic and would cost $4 million to $6 million to replace over a two-year period.

Replacing the steps and station would involve a new design to allow access for people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act hadn’t been adopted when the station was built.

Port Authority sent flyers last week to about 1,000 residents who live near Pennant Station to announce the closure and hasn’t heard any complaints.

“The alternative [to closing the stop] was a $4 million to $6 million expense to serve about eight riders, which we didn’t feel was a good use of our limited capital funds,” Mr. Brandolph said. 

He said riders will be encouraged to use the next nearest Red Line stops, Dawn on the South Busway or Westfield on Suburban Avenue, each about a 15-minute walk away. The 41-Bower Hill bus also stops on West Liberty Avenue, about a 12-minute walk from Pennant.

Ed Blazina: eblazina@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1470 or on Twitter @EdBlazina.

First Published: February 2, 2021, 11:05 p.m.