Planned since the late 1990s, the North Shore Connector received federal funding on February 6, 2004 and had crews complete the initial bore under the river on July 10, 2008.

[3] The North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh evolved from a "sea of asphalt" in the 1990s to a bustling extension of the central business district reflecting approximately one billion dollars of investment and construction in the first decade of the 2000s.

[6] The North Side Station serves PNC Park (1.75 million annual fans) and the Community College of Allegheny County (7,200 students).

[9] Other businesses and attractions served include the Del Monte corporate headquarters (600 employees), Equitable Resources (450 employees), the SpringHill Suites Marriott Hotel and other nearby hotels, Stage AE North Shore Amphitheater (Indoor rock club plus outdoor amphitheater with lawn for 5,500 visitors opening December 2010), the Andy Warhol Museum (90,000 visitors), and many other night spots and restaurants.

Its supporters argued that any enhancement of public transportation infrastructure in the region should be welcome if it decreases regional reliance on automobiles, especially given the uncertainty of future fuel prices and the paucity of parking in the central business district, while opponents have argued that the project's small scope and large budget constitute a waste of government spending.

[5][10] The "Spine Line", a proposed eastward extension reaching from the Central Business District to Oakland, was abandoned in part due to its prohibitive projected cost of over $1 billion and its estimated 15-year planning and construction schedule.

[12] The North Shore Connector was ranked #3 in the nation among stimulus-funded projects purported to waste taxpayer money in a report by Senators John McCain and Tom Coburn.

The "Summertime Blues" report, their third in a series, identified 100 projects throughout the country that received money from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law in 2009 by President Barack Obama, which the senators classified as wasteful government spending.

[2] One positive aspect of the project highlighted by its supporters is that it makes any future northward expansions of the light rail network significantly easier, because the problem of crossing the Allegheny River has already been solved.