HARRISBURG — In the midst of a 70-day-old state budget impasse, an opportunity that presented itself on Monday might allow Pittsburgh Regional Transit to avoid a planned 35% service cut and a fare increase.

Gov. Josh Shapiro — who described negotiations for the long-overdue budget as being down to the “minutiae” — directed his administration to allow the Philadelphia region’s transit agency, SEPTA, to use capital projects money to fund operations, an option that could be available for Pittsburgh as well.

PRT spokesperson Adam Brandolph said it was considering making a request for a similar waiver and that it would only be a stopgap measure. But Sen. Jay Costa of Allegheny County, the top Democrat in the chamber, said that if the waiver was sought and received, it would free up enough mon

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