PITTSBURGH \u2014 Several state-owned roads in Pittsburgh will close as thousands of people descend on the city for the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n
>>> Pittsburgh NFL Draft: What you need to know <<<<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n PennDOT announced its closures on Friday, adding to a multi-phase list of closures in the North Shore<\/a>. Those closures are expected to last into May.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the schedule of PennDOT road and ramp closures:<\/p>\n Monday,\u00a0April\u00a013\u00a0at approximately 8:00 PM:<\/p>\n Southbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0North Shore (Exit 1B).<\/p>\n Monday,\u00a0April\u00a020 at approximately 8:00 PM:<\/p>\n Northbound I-279 (Upper deck\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Duquesne Bridge) left-hand ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0North Shore (Reedsdale Street \u2013 Exit 1B).<\/p>\n Monday,\u00a0April\u00a020 at approximately 10:00 PM:<\/p>\n The\u00a0I-279 and I-579 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes will close to\u00a0traffic\u00a0to accommodate emergency vehicle and bus\u00a0traffic. All other vehicles will be prohibited.\u00a0The\u00a0HOV lanes will reopen to\u00a0traffic\u00a0Monday\u00a0morning,\u00a0April\u00a027.<\/p>\n Wednesday,\u00a0April\u00a022 at approximately 8:00 PM:<\/p>\n Southbound Route 65 ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Duquesne Bridge.Northbound I-279 (Fort Duquesne Bridge) ramp to northbound Route 65.10th Street Bypass ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0I-279 Portal Bridge.Eastbound I-376 ramp to Liberty Avenue (Exit 70A).Liberty Avenue to I-376 (Fort Pitt Bridge).Allegheny Avenue\/Ridge Avenue\/Reedsdale Street ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Duquesne Bridge.<\/p>\n These detours will also be in place:<\/p>\n Southbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp\u00a0the\u00a0North Shore (Exit 1B)<\/p>\n No detour route will be provided as all local\u00a0roadways\u00a0off\u00a0the\u00a0exit are closed to\u00a0traffic. However,\u00a0the\u00a0ramp will reopen to\u00a0traffic\u00a0for specific Pirate games listed below.<\/p>\n Northbound I-279 (Upper deck\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Duquesne Bridge) left-hand ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0North Shore (Reedsdale Street \u2013 Exit 1B)<\/p>\n No detour route will be provided as all local\u00a0roadways\u00a0off\u00a0the\u00a0exit are closed to\u00a0traffic.<\/p>\n Southbound Route 65 ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Duquesne Bridge<\/p>\n From southbound Route 65, continue straight onto\u00a0the\u00a0ramp to North 28\/North 279\/Truck North 19Merge onto northbound I-279 (Parkway North)Take\u00a0the\u00a0Hazlett Street (Exit 3)\u00a0off-rampTurn left onto East StreetTurn right onto\u00a0the\u00a0ramp to southbound I-279 at Venture StreetFollow I-279 southbound back to\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Duquesne BridgeEnd detour<\/p>\n Northbound I-279 (Fort Duquesne Bridge) to northbound Route 65<\/p>\n From\u00a0the\u00a0upper deck\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Duquesne Bridge, continue to North 28\/279From northbound I-279 (Parkway North), take\u00a0the\u00a0ramp to North 28 toward Chestnut Street\/East Ohio Street\/Etna (Exit 1D)From northbound Route 28, take\u00a0the\u00a0left-hand\u00a0off-ramp to North 279 toward East Ohio StreetAt\u00a0the\u00a0traffic\u00a0light, turn left onto East Ohio StreetTurn left onto\u00a0the\u00a0ramp to southbound I-279From southbound I-279 take\u00a0the\u00a0ramp to North 65 toward Ohio River Boulevard (Exit 1C)End detour<\/p>\n 10th Street Bypass to\u00a0the\u00a0I-279 Portal Bridge<\/p>\n From westbound 10th Street Bypass, turn left onto Fort Duquesne BoulevardTurn left onto 9th StreetTurn right onto Liberty AvenueTurn left onto Stanwix StreetTake\u00a0the\u00a0ramp to West 376 toward\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Pitt Bridge\/AirportEnd detour<\/p>\n Eastbound I-376 ramp to Liberty Avenue (Exit 70A)<\/p>\n From eastbound I-376, take\u00a0the\u00a0ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0Boulevard\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Allies\/Liberty Bridge\/PPG Arena (Exit 70A)Take\u00a0the\u00a0ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0Boulevard\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0AlliesTurn left onto Stanwix StreetFollow Stanwix Street to Liberty AvenueEnd detour<\/p>\n Liberty Avenue to westbound I-376 (Fort Pitt Bridge)<\/p>\n From Liberty Avenue, turn left onto Stanwix StreetTake\u00a0the\u00a0ramp to West 376 toward\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Pitt Bridge\/AirportEnd detour<\/p>\n Allegheny Avenue\/Ridge Avenue\/Reedsdale Street ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Duquesne Bridge<\/p>\n No detour route will be provided as Allegheny Avenue and Reedsdale Street will be closed. Ridge Avenue will remain open. Drivers can access southbound Route 65 at\u00a0the\u00a0West End Bridge\u00a0interchange.<\/p>\n Other things to know:<\/p>\n To accommodate\u00a0Pittsburgh\u00a0Pirates\u00a0traffic,\u00a0the\u00a0southbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp to\u00a0the\u00a0North Shore (Exit 1B) will reopen and close each day from Friday through Sunday,\u00a0April\u00a017-19.\u00a0The\u00a0ramp will reopen to\u00a0traffic\u00a0accessing Red Garage 5 and Champions Garage approximately five hours before\u00a0the\u00a0first pitch and will\u00a0then reclose one-half hour after\u00a0the\u00a0first pitch\u00a0of\u00a0each game.Line striping work is currently scheduled to begin on Saturday,\u00a0April\u00a018 on\u00a0the\u00a0northbound (upper deck) Fort Duquesne Bridge.\u00a0The\u00a0bridge will be reduced to two lanes\u00a0of\u00a0traffic\u00a0during\u00a0the\u00a0work and\u00a0the\u00a0new two-lane\u00a0traffic\u00a0configuration will be implemented on Wednesday,\u00a0April\u00a022.The\u00a0I-376 Fort Pitt Bridge sidewalk will close to pedestrian\u00a0traffic\u00a0on Wednesday,\u00a0April\u00a022.The\u00a0northbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp to northbound Route 28 (Ramp 1D) will be modified to two lanes\u00a0of\u00a0traffic.Lane restrictions will occur throughout\u00a0the\u00a0draft\u00a0in\u00a0both directions\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Portal Bridge which spans a portion\u00a0of\u00a0Point\u00a0State\u00a0Park.For those visiting\u00a0Pittsburgh,\u00a0the\u00a0section\u00a0of\u00a0I-279 (Parkway North) just north\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Fort Duquesne Bridge is occasionally referred to as\u00a0the\u00a0North Shore Expressway.<\/p>\n PennDOT urges football fans to plan ahead and use public transit between draft events. People not attending draft events are encouraged to delay unnecessary travel, consider alternate routes and allow extra travel time.<\/p>\n Click here for more 2026 NFL Draft coverage.<\/a><\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n