[BrianTH]

If you haven't seen this before, it is an interesting read, even though it is getting dated at this point (it is over 10 years old now). By way of background, when the MFE was still a live issue, some groups opposed to the MFE's Pittsburgh branch came up with an alternative plan to improving transportation in the same general area. As you will see, it depends on a combination of upgraded/new "urban boulevards," T extensions, and an East Busway extension. I'm not sure the T extensions are likely in the near future, and BRT approaches are probably more feasible and arguably a better idea anyway in some cases (incorporating bus lanes into some of the urban boulevards in particular would be a very flexible approach). But in any event, I do think this general vision is very appealing and makes a lot of sense:

http://www.pennfuture.org/UserFiles/citizensplan_82702.pdf