Commercial Street back open for drivers after over month-long closure
PITTSBURGH —
Good news for some Pittsburgh drivers: Commercial Street is back open.
PennDOT closed the street below the Commercial Street Bridge on June 29 to prepare for the demolition of the bridge, and the roadway stayed closed throughout the remainder of the project.
The Parkway reopened 17 days after closing, but crews kept Commercial Street closed, in part, due to the significant amount of cleanup still needed after all of the major work was complete.
“For me, that street is more important than the bridge,” Tanille Maddox, who uses Commercial Street often, said. “I know a lot of people are happy about the bridge, but I’m much happier about things opening up over here.”
Maddox usually takes Commercial Street to visit her family in Swisshelm Park. For more than three weeks, it’s been more difficult getting there.
“It takes me about 10 minutes to get here,” she said. “Whenever everything’s closed and messed up, it takes me a good 25 minutes to get here.”
Amy Lampenfeld lives along Commercial Street and is tired of seeing cut-through traffic getting turned away.
“Traffic was unbelievable,” she said. “It was extremely inconvenient.”
While the reopening may bring more cut-through traffic back to the neighborhood, residents are glad to have it back.
“It was a lot of commotion, a lot of cars, and a lot going on,” Maddox said.
Some residents expressed relief at the reopening. “I’m just as excited as can be,” Kathy Murello said.
Josh Stresing shared his excitement about the restored access. “We’re excited to walk down to the park through Commercial, mostly. That was the worst part for us. We couldn’t take the Nine Mile Run down there for our walks,” he said.
The closure caused significant disruptions for residents like Kelly Arnold. “It’s been a really big challenge,” Arnold said. She explained that the detour added considerable time to her daily travel. “I would say at least 40 minutes to an hour easily, especially depending if it’s like a work morning or something else going on,” she said.
Arnold, who often travels with her child, welcomed the return to normalcy. “Especially with, like, this little guy. I’ve just been so ready to kind of get back to normal,” she said.
The road reopened just after 1 p.m. Monday, restoring a vital shortcut for Swisshelm Park residents. “It takes us easily into Oakland or on into downtown, into Schenley Park, into Frick Park. It’s very convenient,” Murello said.
The closure lasted longer than the bridge replacement itself due to extensive cleanup required after the bridge structure was imploded. Murello noted the importance of the shortcut. “We were very excited about the Parkway opening, but we’re really excited about Commercial Road being open,” she said.
Although traffic has resumed, construction and landscaping work below the bridge are ongoing. The next phase will focus on creating a green space in the area. That’s expected to be completed in late spring or early summer of next year.