US UP TO DATE ON THE WORK AND WHAT’S TO COME. WE’RE USING WEEKENDS TO REALLY DO A LOT OF IT BECAUSE THERE’S NOT AS MUCH TRAFFIC DOWNTOWN AS THERE WOULD BE DURING THE WEEK. YOU’LL BE SEEING FENCING GOING UP. YOU’LL SEE SIGNS GOING UP, MORE AND MORE THINGS ARE GOING TO BE PLACED THIS WEEK LEADING INTO EVERYTHING IN THE FOLLOWING WEEK. SO THERE WILL BE A LOT OF, AS I SAY AGAIN, IF YOU’RE TRAVELING, BE PATIENT. MORE AND MORE ROADS ARE BEING BLOCKED OFF AND MORE AND MORE FENCING AND SCAFFOLDING IS GOING UP AS THE NFL DRAFT CAMPUS COMES TO LIFE IN PITTSBURGH. THAT MAKES THE SURGE OF 700,000 PEOPLE FEEL ALL THE MORE REAL FOR PITTSBURGHERS. WHAT AN UNDERTAKING. IT’S JUST SO COOL TO SEE THAT. I MEAN, IN OUR CITIES, IT’LL BE IT’LL BE A CHALLENGE. BUT I THINK THE CITY’S UP FOR IT, SO IT’LL BE COOL. AND DO YOU PLAN ON COMING DOWN? I PROBABLY MAYBE ONE OF THE DAYS REALLY DEPENDS HOW TO GET HERE. YOU KNOW, WITH THOSE CROWDS, PUBLIC SAFETY AND SECURITY IS A MAJOR CONCERN. PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SAFETY ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK AN INCREASED PRESENCE FROM LOCAL AND FEDERAL AGENCIES. FELICITY TAYLOR, PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR PENNDOT IS WORKING WITH THE NFL TO ROLL OUT ROAD AND RAMP CLOSURES IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE DRAFT. THE FIRST BIG ONE COMES ON TOMORROW. THAT’S WHEN THE SOUTHBOUND RAMP FROM 279 TO THE NORTH SHORE WILL CLOSE AT 8 P.M., THEN NEXT MONDAY, APRIL 20TH, THE LEFT HAND RAMP COMING FROM 279 FROM THE FORT DUQUESNE BRIDGE TO THE NORTH SHORE, WILL ALSO CLOSE ON THAT SAME DAY. THE HOV LANES WILL CLOSE TO ACCOMMODATE EMERGENCY VEHICLE AND BUS TRAFFIC. SEVERAL OTHER CLOSURES WIL
Security efforts increase; construction grows as Pittsburgh prepares for NFL draft
Updated: 11:23 AM EDT Apr 12, 2026
With 11 days remaining until the NFL draft, construction is underway on both sides of the river in Pittsburgh, with local officials preparing for the expected surge of 700,000 visitors. “We’re using weekends to really do a lot of it, because there’s not as much traffic downtown as there would be during the week,” Mayor Corey O’Connor told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Saturday. “Fencing going up. You’ll see signs going up. More and more things are going to be placed this week, leading into everything in the following week. So there will be a lot of. So I say again, if you’re traveling, be patient.” Road closures, fencing, and scaffolding are increasing as the NFL draft campus takes shape, making the surge of visitors feel all the more real for Pittsburgh residents. “What an undertaking. It’s just so cool to see that. I mean, in our city,” said John Baley of the South Hills. “It’ll be a challenge. But I think the city’s up for it, so that’ll be good.” Public safety and security are a major concern. Pittsburgh Public Safety announced last week an increased presence from local and federal agencies during the event. Local nonprofit Eden’s Farm is also addressing potential risks, noting that a significant influx of people into a city can increase opportunities for human trafficking. The organization completed a three-part community training on Sunday. “Community safety, talking about some ways that we might, just be harm-reductive in the community and thinking of transit, thinking of an exit plan, some of those other things that we might even just engage with each other supportively,” said Kyla Christensen of Eden’s Farm.READ MORE ABOUT THE NFL DRAFT BELOW:
PITTSBURGH —
With 11 days remaining until the NFL draft, construction is underway on both sides of the river in Pittsburgh, with local officials preparing for the expected surge of 700,000 visitors.
“We’re using weekends to really do a lot of it, because there’s not as much traffic downtown as there would be during the week,” Mayor Corey O’Connor told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Saturday. “Fencing going up. You’ll see signs going up. More and more things are going to be placed this week, leading into everything in the following week. So there will be a lot of. So I say again, if you’re traveling, be patient.”
Road closures, fencing, and scaffolding are increasing as the NFL draft campus takes shape, making the surge of visitors feel all the more real for Pittsburgh residents.
“What an undertaking. It’s just so cool to see that. I mean, in our city,” said John Baley of the South Hills. “It’ll be a challenge. But I think the city’s up for it, so that’ll be good.”
Public safety and security are a major concern. Pittsburgh Public Safety announced last week an increased presence from local and federal agencies during the event.
Local nonprofit Eden’s Farm is also addressing potential risks, noting that a significant influx of people into a city can increase opportunities for human trafficking. The organization completed a three-part community training on Sunday.
“Community safety, talking about some ways that we might, just be harm-reductive in the community and thinking of transit, thinking of an exit plan, some of those other things that we might even just engage with each other supportively,” said Kyla Christensen of Eden’s Farm.
READ MORE ABOUT THE NFL DRAFT BELOW: