PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - Summertime construction will be in full force this weekend with another closure of the Parkway East.
A full closure of the outbound Parkway East begins at 8PM Friday evening and lasts until 5AM Monday morning between Forbes/Oakland and Edgewood/Swissvale, with a single lane restriction on the inbound side between Saline Street and Bates Street.
“The good news is, if the weather cooperates, this should be the last weekend closure,” Steve Cowan with PennDOT told KDKA Radio’s Larry Richert and John Shumway on Friday morning. “If all goes well, the only thing we will have left is basically overnight lane restrictions, which we’ve had through his entire project.”
Posted Detours:
Outbound I-376- From eastbound I-376, take the Forbes Avenue/Oakland (Exit 72A) off-ramp
- Follow Forbes Avenue to South Bellefield Avenue
- Turn left onto South Bellefield Avenue
- Turn right onto Fifth Avenue
- Follow Fifth Avenue to Penn Avenue
- Turn right onto Penn Avenue
- Turn right onto Ardmore Boulevard
- Take the ramp to 376/22/West 30 toward Pittsburgh/Monroeville
- Bear left toward East 376/22 toward Monroeville
- End detour
Outbound Boulevard of the Allies on-ramp to Outbound I-376
- Continue on the Boulevard of the Allies past the closed ramp to Forbes Avenue/Oakland
- Take the ramp to Forbes Avenue
- Follow Forbes Avenue to South Bellefield Avenue
- Turn left onto South Bellefield Avenue
- Turn right onto Fifth Avenue
- Follow Fifth Avenue to Penn Avenue
- Turn right onto Penn Avenue
- Turn right onto Ardmore Boulevard
- Take the ramp to 376/22/West 30 toward Pittsburgh/Monroeville
- Bear left toward East 376/22 toward Monroeville
- End detour
Bates Street on-ramp to Outbound I-376
- Follow Bates Street northbound to the Boulevard of the Allies
- Turn left onto the Boulevard of the Allies
- Turn right onto Halket Street
- Turn right onto Forbes Avenue
- Follow Forbes Avenue to South Bellefield Avenue
- Turn left onto South Bellefield Avenue
- Turn right onto Fifth Avenue
- Follow Fifth Avenue to Penn Avenue
- Turn right onto Penn Avenue
- Turn right onto Ardmore Boulevard
- Take the ramp to 376/22/West 30 toward Pittsburgh/Monroeville
- Bear left toward East 376/22 toward Monroeville
- End detour
Beechwood Boulevard on-ramp to Outbound I-376
- From Beechwood Boulevard, turn onto Forward Avenue
- Turn left onto Murray Avenue
- Turn right onto Wilkins Avenue
- Turn left onto North Dallas Avenue
- Turn right onto Penn Avenue
- Turn right onto Ardmore Boulevard
- Take the ramp to 376/22/West 30 toward Pittsburgh/Monroeville
- Bear left toward East 376/22 toward Monroeville
- End detour
Inbound I-376 off-ramp to Squirrel Hill/Homestead (Exit 74)
- Continue on inbound I-376 past the closed ramp
- Take the Glenwood (73B) off-ramp to Bates Street
- From Bates Street, turn left onto Second Avenue
- Turn left onto Greenfield Avenue
- Turn left onto Ronald Street
- Turn right onto Beechwood Boulevard
- End detour
Four ramps will also close an hour early, at 7PM, on Friday evening:
- Outbound (southbound) Boulevard of the Allies (Route 885) ramp to outbound I-376
- Bates Avenue ramp to outbound I-376
- Beechwood Boulevard ramp to outbound I-376
- Westbound (inbound) I-376 off-ramp to Squirrel Hill/Homestead (Exit 74)
PennDOT said delays due to the closure will be significant and detour routes will be crowded, “We’re hoping that motorists, especially those that are familiar with the area, will stay away from the detour route when you get off the Oakland/Forbes Avenue exit,” Cowan said. “The detour takes you from that exit to Wilkinsburg, but the Edgewood/Swissvale on-ramp to the outbound Parkway East will be open. So a lot of folks that are familiar with the area will make their way down to Regent Square and just jump back on at Edgewood/Swissvale.”
Without any major events in the city over the weekend, Cowan believes that motorists might just avoid the area completely. “We’ve seen in the past, when we’ve done Squirrel Hill Tunnel rehabilitation, there were delays up to two to three hours on the detour route,” Cowan said.
Several police departments in Allegheny County will be along major intersections on detour routes to help control interstate traffic.
Cowan said that more construction projects, including work on the Boulevard of the Allies, the I-579 Cap Project and West Carson Street, will start after the 4th of July.
Ashley Funyak contributed to this article.
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