Pittsburgh Regional Transit will hold a public meeting on Tuesday to hear from riders on the proposed Bus Line Refresh.

According to PRT, the Bus Line Refresh is an update to the bus network and is designed to improve reliability, frequency, seven-day service, and connectivity.

“We have some new routes proposed, a North Hills to Oakland connection, a South Hills Oakland connection, that don’t exist today. We also are proposing to increase service on off-peak hours,” said Jake Stockman, a senior planner for PRT. “And then also wanting to make sure that throughout this process, we’re centering equity, to make sure that the communities where the service is needed the most aren’t being left behind.”

The Bus Line Refresh is the second draft of the Bus Line Redesign, which Stockman said prompted more than 90 public engagement events and garnered more than 12,000 public comments.

However, this time, the proposed updates will not be as drastic.

“We’ve called it the ‘Refresh’ because we want the second draft to reflect that we’re reducing the volume of change so the system will look a little bit more familiar to our existing riders compared to what we previously presented in 1.0,” Stockman told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Reporter Jordan Cioppa.

PRT staff will continue to gather public feedback on the new proposal through a number of ways, such as attending community meetings and popping up at bus stops. Stockman presented the plan to West End neighbors Monday night.

“The increased frequency sounds great, later on Sunday night for people. There used to be service after midnight. Some people do work past 11 p.m.,” said John McNulty, a West End resident and PRT rider.

Public comment started in March and will last through May. PRT will then host public hearings this summer before presenting a final plan to the PRT board in the fall.

Stockman said the goal is to implement the changes in 2027.

Riders are encouraged to attend the main public comment meeting on April 7 at the August Wilson Center from 5 to 7 p.m.

Primanti Bros. has closed two more restaurants, both in the Pittsburgh area.The Monroeville and North Versailles locations are permanently closed, a Primanti Bros. spokesperson confirmed to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Monday.These are the latest Primanti Bros. closures in western Pennsylvania, following last year’s closure of the Penn Avenue location in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood.A reason for the Monroeville and North Versailles closures was not immediately announced.Earlier this year, when the Pittsburgh-based company closed its Camp Hill and Lancaster locations in the Susquehanna Valley, Primanti Bros. Vice President Ryan Wilkinson said, “This is not a decision we take lightly. While we are adjusting our overall footprint to best meet demand, our commitment to both loyal customers in Central Pennsylvania and the iconic sandwiches we’ve been serving for almost a century remain unchanged.”This is a developing story. Stay with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 for updates. Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.Where are Primanti’s locations in Western Pennsylvania?Primanti Bros. still operates many locations in the Pittsburgh area.Here is a list of local restaurants from the company’s website.Allegheny CountyHampton TownshipHarmar TownshipHomesteadMonroevilleMoon TownshipMt. LebanonPittsburgh (Downtown)Pittsburgh (Oakland)Pittsburgh (South Side)Pittsburgh (Strip District)Pleasant HillsRobinson TownshipRoss TownshipPittsburgh International AirportSouth FayetteBeaver CountyCenter TownshipButler CountyCranberry TownshipFayette CountyUniontownIndiana CountyIndianaWashington CountyNorth Strabane TownshipWestmoreland CountyGreensburgAbout Primanti Bros.Primanti Bros. traces its roots to the Great Depression, when Joe Primanti began selling sandwiches from a small cart in Pittsburgh’s Strip District before opening a storefront in 1933 to serve truck drivers and shift workers around the clock.The brand’s signature sandwich, topped with fries, was born when Joe’s nephew, John DiPriter, fried potatoes to see if they were frozen and started adding them to sandwiches, creating a one-handed meal that quickly became a hit.

Pittsburgh has a punting problem. For years, decades really, the unit hasn’t been sufficient. New Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman’s goal is to come in and fix that while improving or maintaining the other special teams units. History says he may fix other aspects, but not punting.

Below is a chart of the average gross punting yards (how far a punt travels before the return) and NFL rank during all four of Crossman’s stints in the head role: Carolina, Detroit, Buffalo, and Miami. Included in the chart is Pittsburgh’s ranking over the Mike Tomlin era, 2007-2025.

The numbers below with analysis to follow:

Crossman’s numbers in Carolina were good. The rest were not. He had bottom-tier finishes in Detroit, Buffalo, and Miami. Perhaps Buffalo can be excused, given its cold-weather climate, naturally unfriendly to punters. Still, Detroit plays indoors (even with road games in Green Bay and Chicago, that’s just a fraction of the season), and Miami is a warm-weather climate. No matter the venue over the past 15 years, the results haven’t been there.

Pittsburgh’s low finish isn’t shocking. Like Buffalo, punting at Acrisure (and Cleveland, Baltimore, and Cincinnati) makes life tough. The city will always have a disadvantage. Still, there’s no reason to accept finishing dead last in the league over nearly 20 years. Pittsburgh’s punting has always been subpar. It’s why the team’s record holder is from the 60s and not the modern day, like nearly every other NFL team. Washington is the only other team in this situation, thanks to Sammy Baugh’s league record that stood for generations.

How much can Crossman be blamed? He’s not the one on the field. But he evaluates and coaches the position. The results reflect him, especially over such a long span of time, and not a cherry-picked, single-season window. There is a consistently disappointing trend. And it’s gotten him fired in Buffalo and Miami.

Cameron Johnston is currently Pittsburgh’s only punter. Another will surely join the team. Whoever wins the job has their work cut out for them. Crossman must turn around his history – and Pittsburgh’s.