By SUSAN JONES
If you drive into Oakland from the east suburbs, you’ve probably already been plotting a strategy for getting here during the closure of the Parkway East (I-376) from July 10 to around Aug. 3.
But even those Pitt employees who don’t have to take a detour to reach work during the closure are likely to feel its impact. One of the main detour routes will travel through central Oakland on Fifth Avenue for inbound traffic and Forbes Avenue outbound.
One bright spot, Pittsburgh Regional Transit said it plans to pause construction in Oakland on the PRTX University Line, which has snarled traffic for months, during the parkway closure.
The closure is needed to slide over a new 830-feet-long and 60-feet-tall bridge to replace the 75-year-old Commercial Street Bridge just east of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. The 25-day closure will cover demolishing the original bridge and moving the new bridge into place.
PennDOT’s Jason Zang, district executive for PennDOT District 11, said there is a monetary incentive in the contract for every hour the parkway is opened before the 25-day mark and a financial disincentive if the project goes beyond 25 days.
“The goal of the entire project team is to open the parkway as quickly as possible,” Zang said during a May virtual public meeting on the project.
The road will be closed to all but local traffic between Wilkinsburg (Exit 78B) and Forbes Ave/Oakland (Exit 72A). There will be a single lane of travel between Wilkinsburg and Edgewood, as well as from Oakland to Squirrel Hill for local traffic only.
PennDOT says that 100,000 vehicles a day cross the Commercial Street Bridge, which is more than the detour routes can handle. PennDOT and Pitt officials are encouraging drivers to use alternate transportation, such as PRT buses.
The main detour takes inbound drivers off at Wilkinsburg, down Penn Avenue, then left on Fifth Avenue through Shadyside and into Oakland, then onto the Boulevard of the Allies and back onto the parkway. The outbound detour is off at Forbes/Oakland, then down Forbes to left on Bellefield Avenue and right on Fifth to Penn and back to the parkway in Wilkinsburg.
At the PennDOT information meeting in May, officials said that the detour route has gotten significant traffic signal upgrades to help them more effectively control traffic flow remotely. There also will be off-duty police officers along the route to assist in traffic movement.
The Bates Street/Second Avenue on-ramp to eastbound 376 and the ramp from the Boulevard of the Allies also will be closed. In addition, the ramps from Churchill and Forest Hills onto the parkway going west will be closed, and the ramp in Swissvale/Swisshelm Park onto the eastbound parkway will close because of its proximity to the bridge work.
In Oakland right now, Fifth Avenue’s two left lanes are closed from Bellefield Avenue to Craft Avenue for work on the PRTX University Line project, which is creating a bus rapid transit system between Oakland and downtown.
Adam Brandolph, deputy chief communications officer for PRT, said that PRT plans to temporarily halt work in Oakland for about a month during the Commercial Street Bridge project.
“We have been in close coordination with the city of Pittsburgh (Department of Mobility & Infrastructure) and PennDOT,” he said. “We do anticipate significant traffic in the Oakland area and will be providing riders with additional information later this month.”
A message to Pitt employees this week from James Gallaher, vice chancellor for human resources, and Provost Joe McCarthy stressed supervisors should use maximum flexibility and, when possible, encourage and allow employees to work remotely. For those who have to come to campus, the message said supervisors should be flexible about the hours they work, so employees can avoid busier travel times.
No new Flexible Work Agreements have to be filed for these temporary changes to schedule or work location, but employees must obtain their supervisor’s approval in advance.
Employees who must travel to Oakland should carpool or use public transportation, the message said. View information about additional Park & Ride locations.
Those biking to work should be aware that Commercial Street under the bridge will not be open throughout the parkway closure and possibly longer for debris cleanup.
Download and use the 511PA app or visit the 511pa.com website for real-time traffic updates with live detour times to help plan travel in and around campus. You also can sign up for email updates and alerts and find additional resources at pa.gov/CommercialStBridge.
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
Have a story idea or news to share? Share it with the University Times.
Follow the University Times on Facebook.