The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway celebrated its 25th year of service last month.

The busway changed public transportation in the East Suburbs when it opened on Feb. 21, 1983, reducing travel time between Wilkinsburg and Downtown from 45 to 15 minutes.

"The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway is one of the crown jewels of the entire Port Authority system," said Stephen Bland, Port Authority CEO.

"From bringing customers into the city from our eastern suburbs in a timely manner to encouraging development in East Liberty and other communities, the (busway) is truly a transportation treasure that will serve the region for years to come."

The second of Port Authority's three rapid transit facilities, the 6.8-mile buses-only roadway linked Wilkinsburg with Oakland and downtown Pittsburgh using railroad rights of way. The busway proved so popular that a 2.3-mile extension to Swissvale was opened in 2003, expanding service to more communities in the East Suburbs and Mon Valley.

Nearly 26,000 daily riders utilize the busway, the third such project in the country after the El Monte Busway in Los Angeles in 1973 and South Busway from the South Side to the South Hills in 1977. Those early projects spurred the development of others across the nation.

Today, 32 bus routes serve the East Busway, including 29 express routes that circulate in suburban communities then provide a non-stop commute to Downtown.

Since the busway opened, an estimated $500 million worth of residential, commercial, office and medical development has taken place along its corridor.

New park-and-ride lots provide 163 spaces in Swissvale and 876 in Wilkinsburg.

While Swissvale welcomed the busway expansion, plans met with years of resistance from Edgewood residents who had concerns about noise, traffic and pollution.

In the end, the design included renovation of the historic Edgewood train station, which has not been completed because of cost overruns, and a landscaped linear park yet to be constructed, said Kurt Ferguson, Edgewood borough manager. The authority plans to transfer ownership of the station to the borough and continue to seek funding for its completion so a tenant can be secured, he said.

Built for Pennsylvania Railroad in 1903, the station is the last remaining building in the Pittsburgh area designed by noted architect Frank Furness.

Edgewood Borough officials and their hired consultant are still meeting with Port Authority representatives to finalize a plan for Edgewood Avenue corridor enhancements. Among the suggested projects are a pedestrian bridge across the busway to Edgewood Towne Center and possibly a busway stop.

While Edgewood initially resisted a busway stop, Ferguson says newer residents moving to the borough seem to support the idea.

"My sense of things is the opinion of the busway has changed drastically," he said.