First Avenue Station - Pittsburgh, PA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 40° 26.127 W 079° 59.790
17T E 585112 N 4476573
The First Avenue Station is located near 2nd Avenue/Boulevard of the Allies and the Liberty Bridge, and is the last station on the T light rail line before crossing the bridge over the Monongahela River to points south.
Waymark Code: WM6Z0H
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/08/2009
Views: 20
The First Avenue Station is one of four 'free' light rail stations in downtown Pittsburgh and is the first upon entering or last upon leaving downtown Pittsburgh. It sits at the northern end of the Panhandle Bridge (also known as the Monongahela River Bridge). The system is free as long as you stay in downtown Pittsburgh. When you leave the city, you will need to pay a fare. From the map provided on Wikipedia, all lines of the light rail system pass through this station.
At this point, the transit line is well above the roads surrounding it. Not far north, the line goes into a tunnel and becomes the subway line.
This station was opened in 2001 and is integrated with a parking garage owned by the Pittsburgh Parking Authority.
Before 1985, the line carried railroad tracks over the river. The Panhandle Bridge was built in 1903, but there were bridges before then. The Pittsburgh and Steubenville Railroad was the original line that used the tracks, then the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Sources:
Pittsburgh Bridges and Tunnels Web Site (First Avenue Station):
(
visit link)
Web Site for the garage and T Station on the Pittsburgh Parking Authority Web Site:
(
visit link)
Wikipedia Entry for Pittsburgh's Subway System (including a map):
(
visit link)