PennDOT says Parkway East will reopen next week
Commercial Street Bridge slide puts I-376 reopening ahead of schedule
PITTSBURGH —
Interstate 376 (Parkway East) is expected to reopen sooner than originally planned.
“We are now anticipating reopening the parkway the middle of next week – in fact, striving to do even better than that, if we can make it early next week,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said Wednesday. “But a commitment to at least the middle of next week.”
Carroll said the new Commercial Street Bridge project is ahead of schedule, following the slide of the new bridge into place earlier this week.
The closure of the Parkway East was originally scheduled to continue through Aug. 3, but workers have been going 24 hours a day and the weather has largely cooperated.
“I’m not going to declare a (reopening) date today, simply because variables beyond our control have a say in how this unfolds. They’re not going to be able to pour the concrete if it’s pouring rain,” Carroll said. “Not trying to be coy; just want to be fair.”
HOW MUCH LEFT TO DO?
With the bridge in place, the focus is now on the top of the bridge with some approach roadway work, including approach and side barriers and large expansion joints at the end of the bridge. Workers will also install conduits and make electrical connections, including ITS connections for fiber optic lines.
The bridge will also get a polyester polymer concrete overlay, which PennDOT District 11 Executive Jason Zang described as an impermeable, durable overlay to protect the concrete deck surface.
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