Commercial Street closure begins as Pittsburgh prepares for 376 bridge closure

A section of Commercial Street is closed for five weeks, marking the start of the long-awaited Commercial Street bridge slide on the Parkway East. Residents visited the area Sunday to take photos before the closure. “I have taken pictures, along the way a little bit, but this is the last to run, and it’s, it’s bridge time,” said Denny Capezzuto from Swisshelm Park. The Commercial Street bridge slide is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 2. During this time, Commercial Street underneath the bridge and the Nine Mile Trail will remain closed, with traffic expected to resume sometime in August. “It’s going to be a perfect storm. It’s, the city did the traffic quieting, and it’s really going to be a cluster,” said CW Kreimer from Squirrel Hill. Commercial Street is a main route for Swisshelm Park residents, who will now need to reroute through Swissvale instead of directly accessing Squirrel Hill or Homestead. “Just about every day, so. Well, not not to get in the city. We go to the waterfront a lot and we go through Somerset right up there. So it’s no big deal. We’ll just go around the other way to over to Rankin Bridge,” Capezzuto said. Drivers across the city are preparing for increased congestion as traffic is rerouted during the closure. “Work in HVAC, so I’m driving around the city all day, and it’s, you know, definitely going to be a challenge to take alternative routes and kind of arrive on time,” said Isaiah Kinley from Mount Washington. Despite the inconvenience, residents say the five-week timeline for the bridge slide is faster than expected and worth the effort. “I came out to take some pictures of what was built in 1951. And, I heard that they jacked it up five feet a couple of nights ago. So it should be pretty cool to watch it move over,” Kreimer said.

PITTSBURGH —

A section of Commercial Street is closed for five weeks, marking the start of the long-awaited Commercial Street bridge slide on the Parkway East.

Residents visited the area Sunday to take photos before the closure.

“I have taken pictures, along the way a little bit, but this is the last to run, and it’s, it’s bridge time,” said Denny Capezzuto from Swisshelm Park.

The Commercial Street bridge slide is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 2. During this time, Commercial Street underneath the bridge and the Nine Mile Trail will remain closed, with traffic expected to resume sometime in August.

“It’s going to be a perfect storm. It’s, the city did the traffic quieting, and it’s really going to be a cluster,” said CW Kreimer from Squirrel Hill.

Commercial Street is a main route for Swisshelm Park residents, who will now need to reroute through Swissvale instead of directly accessing Squirrel Hill or Homestead.

“Just about every day, so. Well, not not to get in the city. We go to the waterfront a lot and we go through Somerset right up there. So it’s no big deal. We’ll just go around the other way to over to Rankin Bridge,” Capezzuto said.

Drivers across the city are preparing for increased congestion as traffic is rerouted during the closure.

“Work in HVAC, so I’m driving around the city all day, and it’s, you know, definitely going to be a challenge to take alternative routes and kind of arrive on time,” said Isaiah Kinley from Mount Washington.

Despite the inconvenience, residents say the five-week timeline for the bridge slide is faster than expected and worth the effort.

“I came out to take some pictures of what was built in 1951. And, I heard that they jacked it up five feet a couple of nights ago. So it should be pretty cool to watch it move over,” Kreimer said.