Now that traffic has returned to normal following the NFL Draft, drivers may be wondering about another disruption coming this year, the closure of the Parkway East.
The replacement of the Commercial Street Bridge and the 25-day closure of the Parkway that comes along with it is still tentatively set for July 10.
Part of the overall Parkway East project began early Monday.
The eastbound off-ramp to Edgewood (Exit 77) toward South Braddock Avenue is now closed through late June. The ramp toward Swissvale remains open.
Posted detour
Take the ramp on the right toward Swissvale
Turn left onto Monongahela Avenue
Follow Monongahela Avenue to the intersection of South Braddock Avenue
At a news conference this month to preview this year's construction season, PennDOT's Jason Zang says they know how disruptive the closure will be.
But other alternatives would have brought their own problems.
“One option would have been to do it in half-with construction, like a lot of things in in half-width, however, one direction is really only two lanes wide with a shoulder so, we would’ve been forced to restrict the Parkway (East) down to one lane, in each direction, for four years,” said Zang. “That would not have been fun.”
Another option would have been to build a temporary bridge and bypass on one side of the old bridge and then demolish it, but with the Squirrel Hill Tunnel right there, that would have posed additional difficulties.
The posted detour will have inbound drivers exit at Wilkinsburg, get onto Penn Avenue, and take that to Fifth Avenue in Shadyside, and follow Fifth to the Boulevard of the Allies on-ramp back onto the Parkway.
Learn more about the full project here.
The eastbound off-ramp to Edgewood (Exit 77) toward South Braddock Avenue is now closed through late June
The eastbound off-ramp to Edgewood (Exit 77) toward South Braddock Avenue is now closed through late June
