Restrictions will disrupt traffic around the HOV lanes on Pittsburgh’s North Side over the weekend, and commuters will have limited service in Downtown Pittsburgh Monday on Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s light rail system due to electrical work.

HOV work

Crews will spend the weekend finishing most of the emergency repair work on piers on Interstate 579 on Pittsburgh’s North Side and the Veterans Bridge and expect to restore normal traffic on northbound I-579 by Monday morning.

That area of the HOV lanes and the highway have had travel restrictions since spring, when inspectors found unexpected deterioration in support piers for ramps from Interstate 279 to the bridge. That led to emergency repair work on all 35 piers and a shift of traffic from the main highway to the HOV lanes.

Beginning 9 p.m. Friday, crews will finish most of the pier work and reestablish the usual traffic configuration by 5 a.m. Monday. Single-lane restrictions and traffic shifts will occur during the work.

Additionally, a single-lane closure on southbound I-279, in the location of the previous crossover, will occur this weekend as crews set precast barriers for future HOV restoration.

By Monday morning, the crossover from I-79 northbound to the HOV lanes will be eliminated, the interstate will connect directly with I-279, and the ramp from northbound I-579 to Route 28 will be reopened. All HOV lanes will remain closed except for North Shore events until mid-November while crews replace barriers, adjust signs, conduct line striping and test the HOV gate system.

Crews will continue to work on the piers from underneath, and there could be minor intermittent traffic restrictions.

Light rail system

Repair work on overhead electrical lines will cause delays of at least 20 minutes for commuters on Monday.

Trains will come into the Downtown area, but service will be diverted from Steel Plaza to the normally closed Penn Station, where service will end. Riders who want to go farther into Downtown can take a shuttle bus along Liberty Avenue with stops at Wood Street and Gateway stations, which will both be closed to Downtown rail service.

At Gateway, riders also can catch a shuttle train to the North Shore.

Trains coming from the North Shore will end at Gateway. Riders can take a shuttle bus to Penn Station and board an outbound train there to the South Hills.

The agency expects the disruption to add at least 20 minutes to a trip beyond Penn Station.

Work should be finished in one day, and regular service is scheduled to resume Tuesday morning.

Riders who have questions or need assistance should call PRT Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or reach out via X @PghTransitCare or live chat at www.ridePRT.org.  

Other weekend work scheduled includes:

Parkway West 1 — The ramp from the inbound highway to northbound I-79 in Robinson and Collier will be closed overnight for the next 2½ weeks beginning at 6 p.m. Friday for installation of an anti-icing system. The ramp will be closed from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Friday through Sunday for the next three weekends and on weeknights from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday for the next two weeks. It also will be closed from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. Nov. 17 and 18. Detours will be posted.

Parkway West 2 — The ramps at the Carnegie interchange will have single-lane restrictions for inspections of exit and entrance ramps. The inbound ramp will be restricted from 6 a.m. to noon on Saturday and the outbound ramp from 6 a.m. to noon on Sunday. The ramps will remain open during the inspection.

Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he’s currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.