For the first time in 80 years, Pittsburgh will host the NFL Draft from April 23-25, welcoming an estimated 500,000-700,000 football fans to the city. The free event will take place outside of Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore, spanning across Point State Park, Downtown.
Traffic and changes to mass transportation schedules are expected to accommodate the influx of crowds. For Chatham University students, this monumental event intersects with finals week, which will take place from Thursday, April 23, to Tuesday, April 28. This leaves many students, especially commuters, up in the air about how they will make their final exam slots on time.
Bex Romer ‘27, who lives on the North Side, is worried about getting to her finals on time with the expected road closures and bus route schedule changes. “You can’t tell with confirmation what it’s actually going to be like until it happens,” said Romer.
Students can expect Chatham Eastside and Eden Hall shuttles to run as normal despite the traffic conditions.
“All shuttles will still be available and running on schedule Monday through Friday for Chatham students for both Shadyside and Eden Hall. There should be no changes, unless they are running a little later than usual, but academics are prioritized for shuttle services,” said Michael Colberg, Chatham’s chief of police.
Road closures began the week of March 28 in some parts of the city to prepare the area for the event and will continue to expand until the draft concludes. During the week of the draft, city residents are being advised to walk, bike or take public transportation instead of driving when possible.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) will have expanded bus and “T” light rail service from April 23-25. Four “Football Flyer” buses will be in service: three along the South, West and East busways and one via the Parkway North HOV Lane. These will run every 15 minutes on Thursday and Friday and every 30 minutes on Saturday during draft week. The routes will end in “Park & Ride” locations such as at Monroeville Mall, South Hills Village Mall and Pittsburgh International Airport, among others. PRT has partnered with a number of regional transit agencies to make this uptick in service possible.
Most typical bus routes will run on a Saturday schedule every 30 minutes. This includes the 71B, 71D and 64, all of which stop at Fifth Avenue and College Street in Shadyside and are commonly used by Chatham students. Some buses will have no service, such as the P3, which stops along the East Busway in East Liberty. The full public transportation schedule can be found on PRT’s website at rideprt.org/2026-draft/draft.
It is important for riders to leave room for delays caused by increased ridership and traffic. Those who live near the airport should be mindful of a high volume of visitors traveling in and out of the city. Traffic is also expected to build up near bridges and tunnels. If you typically drive to class from off campus, take note of the road closures near you and look into your nearest bus route for a faster commute – and plan to leave a little extra early.
