New platforms at East Liberty bus station to open Saturday

Bus riders who use East Liberty Station on the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway will begin using the newly constructed platforms starting Saturday, Port Authority of Allegheny County announced Friday.

The station is being rebuilt as part of the East Liberty Transit Center, which is part of a larger development worth about $130 million that includes a new pedestrian bridge connecting Ellsworth Avenue with improved bus stops along Penn Avenue near the Target store. A wide pedestrian walkway will stretch from the bus station to a park area at the intersection of Ellsworth, Shady and Penn avenues. Plans also call for a 550-space parking garage, a new street and later, residential buildings.

More than $23 million of public money has been poured into the project.

The transition to the new platforms will occur early Saturday and create minimal disruption for riders, Port Authority said. Access points to the new platform will be opened; ongoing construction areas will remain fenced off. The change will not disrupt bus service on the East Busway. ConnectCard machines are being move to the new station but are not yet available for use.