Parkway East Closure Postponed
The City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works, in conjunction with PennDOT and Mosites Heavy Construction, has postponed the I-376 East (Parkway East) closures originally scheduled for December 4-6.
All inbound and outbound lanes of the Parkway East will be open this weekend.
This decision was made by the City of Pittsburgh after extensive conversations with Mosites Heavy Construction. Both the city and contractor feel that it is in the best interest of the community to keep the Parkway East open while PennDOT is conducting a Parkway West weekend closure. The city and contractor are confident that delaying the Parkway East closure one week will not disrupt the planned deconstruction and demolition schedule of the Greenfield Bridge.
The Parkway East closures have been postponed one week. The next weekend closure of I-376 East will take place Friday, Dec. 11 at 11:00 p.m. through Monday, Dec. 14 at 6:00 a.m.
Closures and Detours (Dec. 11-14)
The eastbound (outbound) closures will begin at Oakland (Exit 72A). All outbound traffic will be directed to the posted detour starting at Exit 72A. Additionally, the Bates St. outbound entrance ramp will be closed. A map of the eastbound closures and detours can be found here.
The westbound (inbound) detour will begin at Wilkinsburg Exit 78B. Inbound traffic coming from the east will be directed to the posted detour starting at Exit 78B. All truck traffic must follow the posted detour that begins at Exit 78B. Local traffic traveling westbound will be able to use the Edgewood/Swissvale Exit 77 off-ramp. The Edgewood/Swissvale and Sq. Hill/Homestead on-ramps to I-376 inbound will be closed. Motorists traveling westbound out of Oakland on the Boulevard of the Allies will be able to access I-376 westbound at the Boulevard of the Allies entrance ramp. Motorists in Downtown Pittsburgh will be able to access I-376 westbound at Grant Street (71A). A map of the westbound detours and closures can be found here.
Police officers will be on site at critical intersections on the posted detour routes to assist with traffic flow and ensure safety for all roadway users. Motorists should expect significant delays on posted detour routes.
The closures will be administered by Mosites, the contractor that is overseeing the Greenfield Bridge reconstruction project. The closures are necessary to allow Mosites to perform deconstruction work on the Greenfield Bridge. Crews will be removing the concrete slabs that make up the road surface of the bridge that passes over the closed portions of I-376. This work must be done in advance of preparing the bridge for implosion. Full details on the Greenfield Bridge closure and Reconstruction Project can be found here.
The City of Pittsburgh has made every attempt to minimize the impact of this closure on planned city events in Downtown, the North Shore and elsewhere. The magnitude and tight schedule for the Greenfield Bridge reconstruction project require weekend closures. The city and its partners have a seven week window in which two weekend closures are permitted to take place, not counting the Christmas to New Year’s closure in December 2015.
Possible Alternate Routes
To avoid lengthy delays on the posted detour, PennDOT also suggests taking the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Monroeville to the Harmar Interchange (Exit 48) and using southbound Route 28 to access downtown.
Motorists may also consider taking the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Monroeville to the I-79 interchange in Cranberry (Exit 77) and following I-79 south to the Parkway North (I-279) to Pittsburgh.