TRAFFIC: Liberty Bridge, Tunnel closing tonight for construction work
The inbound/northbound Liberty Bridge and Tunnel will close tonight at 8 p.m. as part of the ongoing bridge rehabilitation project.
Inbound traffic will be detoured at the south portal of the Liberty Tunnel. Two outbound lanes will be maintained on the bridge and through the tunnel. The bridge and tunnel will reopen by 5 a.m. Friday.
Also, one inbound lane along Second Avenue in Oakland is open from the 10th Street Bridge to the Birmingham Bridge while crews repair a water main break that occurred early this morning. One inbound lane of Second Avenue is open until 3 p.m., then inbound will close and one lane outbound will be open, according to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.
Other traffic restrictions in the region:
Fort Duquesne Bridge on-ramp — The ramp reopened Thursday afternoon from the North Shore (Allegheny and Ridge avenues) to the bridge (southbound I-279), heading toward Downtown and the Parkway East/Interstate 376Also the ramp that carries traffic from Reedsdale Street to the Fort Duquesne Bridge has reopened.
Squirrel Hill Tunnel — A lane closure is scheduled overnight through Friday night, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on the inbound (eastbound) side. Crews from Lighthouse Electric Co. will continue drilling and conduit installation work to restore cellphone service inside the tunnel.
Route 65/Ohio River Boulevard — A long-term closure through September of southbound Route 65/Ohio River Boulevard between the Beaver Avenue Exit ramp and the West End Bridge.
Construction crews will rebuild the highway between the McKees Rocks and Fort Duquesne bridges in the latest step in a two-year, $25.3 million project. Southbound Route 65 traffic will be detoured: Motorists can follow Beaver Avenue to the Interstate 279-376 ramp to Downtown Pittsburgh and back to Route 65 inbound or stay on Beaver Avenue to the North Side. A police officer will be stationed at a traffic light on Beaver Avenue to help keep traffic moving, PennDOT said.
Crews will switch to the outbound side of the highway next spring and expect to finish work by September 2017.
The $25.2 million improvement project will include concrete patching, an asphalt overlay, bridge rehabilitation, drainage and guiderail updates, signage, retaining wall repairs and pavement marking installation.
Campbells Run Road, Carnegie — Closing Wednesday, July 27 for work on a landslide area at the intersection of Highland Avenue. Traffic will be detoured using the Parkway West, Rosslyn Road, and Baldwin Road. The project is scheduled to be completed by next spring.
East Pennview Street, Shaler — Will close Aug. 1 for the replacement of Pine Creek Bridge No. 11. The bridge is about a quarter of a mile west of the intersection of Pennview and Route 8. Traffic will be detoured using Mount Royal Boulevard, Elfinwild Road and Route 8. The work should be done by spring.
Bloomfield Bridge — Single-lane restrictions in each direction weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and on Blessing Street through Aug. 5.
Liberty Bridge — The next phase of the Liberty Bridge $80 million rehabilitation project has begun. The work will take place one lane at a time through four separate work phases, according to PennDOT. During each phase, the traffic configuration will changed three times each weekday. Three lanes of traffic will be open during peak travel times and two lanes will be maintained overnight.
The traffic patterns and schedule:
▪ Two inbound (northbound) lanes and one outbound (southbound) lane will be maintained from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. each weekday.
▪ Two outbound (southbound) lanes and one inbound (northbound) lane will be maintained from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. each weekday.
▪ A single-lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. each weeknight.
▪ Work may occur on Saturdays and Sundays. Additional information will be provided if work occurs.
East Ohio Street, North Side — Long-term single-lane restrictions in each direction on East Ohio Street between Nash Street and Chestnut Street for roadway reconstruction and expansion dam work, through late September.
Route 885/Clairton Road, West Mifflin — Single-lane alternating traffic between College Drive and Ravensburg Boulevard from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Weekend work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. may occur. Flaggers will assist motorists through the work zone.
Fox Chapel Road — Closed between Guys Run Road and Delafield Road from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for drainage repairs, milling, paving and guiderail improvements through October.
Pine Creek Road, McCandless — Bridge that carries Pine Creek Road over Pine Creek in McCandless is closed through Sept. 13. Detours have been posted, taking traffic from Route 19 to West Ingomar Road, Highland Road and eventually back to Pine Creek Road. Crews from Carmen Paliotta Constructing and Frank J. Zottola Construction will perform the work at the intersection with Route 19/Perry Highway.
McKnight Road, McCandless — Single-lane closures will occur as needed on northbound McKnight Road weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through July 27. Crews from the Brayman Construction Corp. will conduct roadway pavement marking installation and bridge and pipe work between West Arcadia Road and Pine Creek Road. The work is part of the $7.3 million project to improve three existing bridges carrying McKnight over Ingomar Road, Pine Creek, and Route 19.
Venetia Bridge, Peters — The bridge is closed through mid-September so that it can be replaced. A detour is posted.
O’Neil Boulevard, McKeesport — Closed as part of a slope stabilization project near Porter Street. Detour uses Eden Park Boulevard, Walnut Street, 30th Street and Patterson Street.
McLaughlin Run Road, Bridgeville and Upper St. Clair — There will be alternating single-lane traffic weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. while crews conduct road improvements on McLaughlin Run Road between Bower Hill Road and Washington Road (Route 19).
Wildwood Road, Hampton — Closed between Roland Road/Trillium Trail and Grouse Run Road as crews conduct the first phase of slide remediation work. The second phase of work will close Wildwood Road between Roland Road/Trillium Trail and Sylvan Drive through November. Detours are posted. Crews are working around-the-clock on a $2.6 million project to secure two landslide areas.
Sewickley Heights -- Blackburn Road between Fern Hollow Road and Hill Street, wall repairs and paving that will include a road closure and detour will start in mid-July.
Baum Boulevard bridge — The traffic pattern for the Baum Boulevard Bridge deck replacement has changed and the road closed from Melwood Avenue and Enfield Street in Bloomfield to Melwood and Gold Way. After bridge repairs are made, the boulevard from the bridge to Morewood Avenue will be closed for resurfacing. The entire project is expected to cost $12.3 million and should wrap up sometime in August.
Steubenville Pike (Route 60), Robinson and Crafton — There will be single-lane traffic restrictions on Route 60 between the intersection of Noble Avenue/East Steuben Street and Lorish Road weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Greensburg Pike, North Versailles — Greensburg Pike will be closed until mid-August for road and ground stabilization work near the Save-A-Lot grocery store in the Great Valley Shopping Center. A. Merante Contracting Inc. will construct a jumbo block reinforced geo-grid wall as part of the $590,000 project. Traffic approaching the site from Turtle Creek will be detoured through the shopping center to Route 30. Access to Greensburg Pike from Route 30 will be limited to local traffic.
Noblestown Road/Route 50 — Single-lane alternating traffic will occur from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, and possibly during weekends along Noblestown/East Main Street in Scott, Green Tree, Carnegie and Pittsburgh for road resurfacing. Crews from Lane Construction have begun work between the intersection of East Main Street and Washington Avenue in Carnegie and the intersection of Noblestown and Poplar Street in Green Tree. The project is scheduled to be completed in early August.
Red Line, Beechview — Section of the Red Line of Port Authority light-rail system that runs through Beechview is closed as part of a T reconstruction project. The Port Authority is replacing rails embedded in Broadway Avenue between Potomac and Fallowfield avenues, which will affect about 12,000 commuters who use the Red Line to get to Downtown and other locations.
The Red Line will operate as normal from Fallowfield to Downtown and the North Shore. To accommodate passengers from other parts of Beechview and the South Hills, Port Authority has offered several options.
▪ In the construction zone, a free shuttle bus will run every 12 minutes during rush hours (6-9 a.m. and 4-6:30 p.m.) and every 30 minutes during other service hours
▪ A free rail shuttle will run from Potomac to the Blue Line at Overbrook every 12 minutes in rush hours, every 20 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes in the evening.
▪ A temporary bus route, 42 Dormont, will run between the Mt. Lebanon station and Downtown via West Liberty Avenue during weekday rush hours.
The contractor hired for the project will work Monday through Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Interstate 70 — PennDOT has seven projects under way on the 32-mile stretch of Interstate 70 between Eighty Four in Washington County and New Stanton in Westmoreland County. The I-70 work is part of a multi-year series of projects to upgrade the highway. Traffic near the 1-70/Route 19 interchange moved to the eastbound lane with two lanes in each direction.
Smithfield Street, Downtown — Northbound travel lane and parking lane closed from Fourth to Fifth avenues for the reconstruction of the Forbes Avenue and Smithfield Street intersection. The closure is expected to last through the summer.
