\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSummer is right around the corner, which means a full 25-day closure of the Parkway East is also inching closer.The full closure of Interstate 376 from the Squirrel Hill Tunnel to the Edgewood\/Swissvale interchange is set to begin July 10, less than 60 days away.Construction crews are making final preparations on a new bridge that’s being built next to the existing one near the tunnel. The old bridge will be demolished, and the new one will be slowly moved into its place.\u201cEven on a national level, this is a pretty big endeavor and we\u2019re really excited about it ourselves. It doesn\u2019t happen very often,” PennDOT senior assistant construction manager John Myler said. “The company is actually an international company that’s going to come in to move the bridge. It weighs 22 million pounds, so this is a very large structure to lift and move into place.\u201dPennDOT officials estimate that 100,000 vehicles use the Parkway East each day. Detours during the closure will be significant, so PennDOT wants people to start thinking about the closure now, saying it\u2019s best to have a plan in place.Even a little bit of traffic reduction during that time will make a big difference, Myler said.\u201cWe want to encourage teleworking. I think that’s going to be probably one of the biggest things to reduce vehicles on the road. But outside of that, we’re working closely with PRT for park-and-ride locations to use their services,” Myler said. “We\u2019re also looking at just general carpooling. Talk to your co-workers if you live close to one another. Maybe get together and ride in one vehicle instead of two or three vehicles to really reduce the number of cars on the road.\u201dPennDOT will host a virtual information session at 5 p.m. Wednesday to talk about the project and some of the preparations to try to ease the burden for drivers. There will also be a question-and-answer session with the project team.Click here for more about the Parkway East project or to watch the meeting on Wednesday.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tPITTSBURGH \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Summer is right around the corner, which means a full 25-day closure of the Parkway East is also inching closer.<\/p>\n
The full closure of Interstate 376 from the Squirrel Hill Tunnel to the Edgewood\/Swissvale interchange is set to begin July 10, less than 60 days away.<\/p>\n
Construction crews are making final preparations on a new bridge that’s being built next to the existing one near the tunnel. The old bridge will be demolished, and the new one will be slowly moved into its place.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven on a national level, this is a pretty big endeavor and we\u2019re really excited about it ourselves. It doesn\u2019t happen very often,” PennDOT senior assistant construction manager John Myler said. “The company is actually an international company that’s going to come in to move the bridge. It weighs 22 million pounds, so this is a very large structure to lift and move into place.\u201d<\/p>\n
PennDOT officials estimate that 100,000 vehicles use the Parkway East each day. Detours during the closure will be significant, so PennDOT wants people to start thinking about the closure now, saying it\u2019s best to have a plan in place.<\/p>\n
Even a little bit of traffic reduction during that time will make a big difference, Myler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to encourage teleworking. I think that’s going to be probably one of the biggest things to reduce vehicles on the road. But outside of that, we’re working closely with PRT for park-and-ride locations to use their services,” Myler said. “We\u2019re also looking at just general carpooling. Talk to your co-workers if you live close to one another. Maybe get together and ride in one vehicle instead of two or three vehicles to really reduce the number of cars on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
PennDOT will host a virtual information session at 5 p.m. Wednesday to talk about the project and some of the preparations to try to ease the burden for drivers. There will also be a question-and-answer session with the project team.<\/p>\n