376 Bridge Closure: Parkway East closed until August

The Parkway East shutdown has begun for the Commercial Street Bridge replacement project. Interstate 376 (Parkway East) closed to outbound traffic around 10 p.m. Friday. The inbound side was closed just before 11 p.m.Watch livestreaming video of the bridge project from a PennDOT camera.I-376 is expected to be shut down until Aug. 3 between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and Edgewood-Swissvale exit.Check your detour times by clicking here.Commercial Street beneath the parkway will also be closed during this time.The closure, which has been years in the making, is expected to cause significant traffic disruptions for the 100,000 cars that use the Parkway daily.We’ve created a guide to help you navigate the closure | Click here. Has something like this ever been done before?The full closure of the Parkway East will allow crews to demolish the old Commercial Street Bridge before sliding the new bridge into place. During this time, crews will also work on other necessary repairs around the area, including the repaving of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.All of this work, which began in 2024, marks one of PennDOT’s largest infrastructure projects to date.”I know the turnpike has done a couple of these. The most recent one is in eastern Pennsylvania near Allentown. It was a four-lane bridge, much, much smaller, less than 100 feet. Nothing like 850 feet here in Pittsburgh,” explained Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Mike Carrol during a press conference Thursday.He added, “So, has it been done before? Yes. Has it been done at this scale? Not even close.”Drivers will be rerouted across nearby roads, with detours available, but patience will be required to navigate the stretch. PennDOT said it understands the impact and is working to complete the project as quickly as possible.INTERACTIVE MAP:How will crews ensure the work is done in 25 days? PennDOT District 11 Executive Jason Zang said the contract includes both incentives for finishing early and disincentives for delays.”Twenty-five days is the target in our contract. There are incentives for the contractor to get done sooner. There’s also disincentives if they don’t hit the 25-day date, and we do that, we do disincentives on all contracts,” Zang said.He added, “But we put the incentives in there on this one, obviously, because time is of the essence. It’s the Parkway. We want to get it open absolutely as quickly as we can. So that’s a good way to do that,” Zang said.Answering Your QuestionsPittsburgh’s Action Traffic anchor Lily Coleman has dedicated herself to finding out the answers to your questions on the project.What is the point of the project?Why did PennDOT choose July for the closure of the Commercial Street Bridge?How will the process of sliding the new bridge into place work?What time does the Parkway officially close on July 10?What’s the timeline for the closure of Commercial Street?Why was the “ABC” method chosen for this project?How and when will the old bridge be brought down?For more questions of the day, click here.

PITTSBURGH —

The Parkway East shutdown has begun for the Commercial Street Bridge replacement project.

Interstate 376 (Parkway East) closed to outbound traffic around 10 p.m. Friday. The inbound side was closed just before 11 p.m.

Watch livestreaming video of the bridge project from a PennDOT camera.

I-376 is expected to be shut down until Aug. 3 between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and Edgewood-Swissvale exit.

Check your detour times by clicking here.

Commercial Street beneath the parkway will also be closed during this time.

The closure, which has been years in the making, is expected to cause significant traffic disruptions for the 100,000 cars that use the Parkway daily.

We’ve created a guide to help you navigate the closure | Click here.

Has something like this ever been done before?

The full closure of the Parkway East will allow crews to demolish the old Commercial Street Bridge before sliding the new bridge into place. During this time, crews will also work on other necessary repairs around the area, including the repaving of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.

All of this work, which began in 2024, marks one of PennDOT’s largest infrastructure projects to date.

“I know the turnpike has done a couple of these. The most recent one is in eastern Pennsylvania near Allentown. It was a four-lane bridge, much, much smaller, less than 100 feet. Nothing like 850 feet here in Pittsburgh,” explained Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Mike Carrol during a press conference Thursday.

He added, “So, has it been done before? Yes. Has it been done at this scale? Not even close.”

Drivers will be rerouted across nearby roads, with detours available, but patience will be required to navigate the stretch. PennDOT said it understands the impact and is working to complete the project as quickly as possible.

INTERACTIVE MAP:
How will crews ensure the work is done in 25 days?

PennDOT District 11 Executive Jason Zang said the contract includes both incentives for finishing early and disincentives for delays.

“Twenty-five days is the target in our contract. There are incentives for the contractor to get done sooner. There’s also disincentives if they don’t hit the 25-day date, and we do that, we do disincentives on all contracts,” Zang said.

He added, “But we put the incentives in there on this one, obviously, because time is of the essence. It’s the Parkway. We want to get it open absolutely as quickly as we can. So that’s a good way to do that,” Zang said.

Answering Your Questions

Pittsburgh’s Action Traffic anchor Lily Coleman has dedicated herself to finding out the answers to your questions on the project.

For more questions of the day, click here.