From changing work schedules to plotting new physical routes, Parkway East commuters are scrambling to adapt to a massive highway closure.

The stretch between the Edgewood and Squirrel Hill exits will remain shut down for 25 days for the Commercial Street bridge replacement.

The disruption hits eastern suburbs and Westmoreland County particularly hard, forcing regular travelers to either find a new way into Pittsburgh or bypass the commute altogether.

Marge Bibb of Jeannette is switching her work schedule so her shift begins earlier, at 6 a.m., and plans to use one of the local detours. Bibb works for the United Steelworkers Health & Welfare Fund at the United Steelworkers Building in Downtown Pittsburgh.

“I’ve commuted to Pittsburgh for 28 years, and I used to van-pool into the city,” Bibb said. “But all the van pools shut down after covid. I’m not able to work from home, but as long as my shift is between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., I could pick my schedule.”

Bibb said she typically tries to work an earlier shift to avoid traffic, but isn’t sure it’ll be possible during the closure.

“I’m hoping the earlier times will help, but I figure my patience will be tested for sure,” she said.

Janet Stout of Penn Township isn’t even driving as far as the closure site, but is already concerned about how traffic will affect her.

“I’m a home care nurse and have a route that goes into Churchill,” Stout said. “I talked to my boss about shifting those patient visits to Saturday and Sunday. I think I’m going to go through Monroeville on Route 22, which is backed up with traffic on a normal day, so I figured the best thing would be to rearrange my schedule.”

Stout said if she’s required to make an emergency visit, she’ll use Route 22.

“Thank God for GPS,” she said with a laugh. “Everyone who needs to get into Pittsburgh is going to be using every ‘back way’ around, so I think it’ll be busy no matter where you try to go.”

Emergency services

For Westmoreland County ambulance services, an emergency trip involving the Parkway East — particularly a trip west of Monroeville — is unlikely.

“The state released a list of detours for commuters, and those are probably the ones we’ll use,” said Shawn Penzera, spokesperson for Mutual Aid Ambulance, which has stations throughout Westmoreland County.

“For an ambulance, it’s easier for us to just get on a highway and go,” he said. “Using the detour will likely take the same amount of time as if we tried to navigate back roads.”

Emergency vehicles also have access to the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway, whose western terminus is near Route 30. That access will not change during the Parkway closure, according to Murrysville Medic One spokesperson Matt Stromberg.

“Every now and then, if they need to, Medic One has used the busway. But that’s fairly rare,” Stromberg said. “It just depends on the day and the need, and what people are requesting. If it’s just a transport, they may use the detour. But in a medical emergency, they need to get there as quickly as possible, which would be the busway.”

Penzera said that with Mutual Aid stations dotted across the county, the busway may not always be the quickest route.

“It depends on where you’re going and which way is going to be quicker,” he said. “But we’ll have maps available in advance to our crews so they know the fastest way, depending on where they’re coming from and where they’re heading.”

Penzera said Mutual Aid ambulances generally don’t transport patients from an emergency to hospitals on the far side of the Squirrel Hill Tunnels.

“If we’re doing a ground transportation, we’ll probably be taking them to Forbes (in Monroeville),” Penzera said. “Sometimes a patient will request a Pittsburgh hospital, and we can certainly accommodate them. And sometimes we’re transferring someone from a Westmoreland hospital down to Pittsburgh. But those are typically the only instances when one of our crews would be traveling all the way to the city.”

Stromberg said Murrysville Medic One, along with other emergency services in western Westmoreland County, are fortunate to have Forbes Hospital just up the highway, on their side of the Parkway closure.

“The trauma center at Forbes is a big advantage for us,” he said. “And then if that person needs to get to Pittsburgh quickly, they can use the medical helicopter.”

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Finding a way

In order to help commuters, state transportation officials have launched a specialized version of the 511pa.com website that shows traffic conditions across the state.

By going to 511pa.com/map/page/CommercialStBridge, drivers can monitor traffic conditions and find links to traffic maps with travel times for a variety of routes into the city. Users can see real-time incidents, construction, traffic cameras and message board displays.

Travelers can also use a “My Routes” link when choosing a starting point or destination, in order to find the best route around the closure. Additional information is also available at the official project website, pa.gov/CommercialStBridge.

Public transportation

The Westmoreland County Transit Authority has five routes that travel in and out of Pittsburgh. They are:

• 1F Commuter: Greensburg-Irwin-Pittsburgh (4,613 daily riders as of May 2026)

• 2F Commuter: Latrobe-Murrysville-Pittsburgh (1,400)

• 3F Commuter: Mt. Pleasant-Pittsburgh (164)

• 14F Commuter: New Kensington-Pittsburgh (334)

• Route 4: Greensburg-Oakland-Pittsburgh (1,302)

“The only changes planned at this time are for the 1F and 3F to enter the East Busway at the Swissvale station, rather than traveling through Wilkinsburg,” authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said, adding the changes will not affect Westmoreland riders.

“We’re just making them to try to avoid the expected additional traffic in the Wilkinsburg and Oakland areas due to the bridge closure,” Blahovec said. “Obviously, we’re expecting increased traffic in and around Pittsburgh for all our routes and are asking our riders to plan accordingly and be patient. If we see other ways to adjust our schedules and routes, we’ll certainly make those once the project starts.”

Potential riders can find out more by going to WestmorelandTransit.com or calling 724-834-9282.