Latest news with #SquirrelHillTunnel
CBS News
11-08-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
PennDOT hoping to use weekend closure of Parkway East as a learning lesson
The full closure of the Parkway East outside of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel proved to be eye opening for drivers and for PennDOT, who say they hope to use it as a learning lesson. Lessons were learned ahead of next year's 25-day closure of the Parkway East when the new Commercial Street Bridge will be installed. Some things went well. Other things were problematic. The full closure of the Parkway from the Squirrel Hill exit to the Edgewood/Swissvale exit sent traffic onto the planned detour through Wilkinsburg and Oakland. "It flowed pretty well," said PennDOT Senior Assistant Construction Engineer John Myler. Not everyone used the planned detour, however. "A lot of traffic was not exiting at our detour as much as going to the closest point that they could, which were the Squirrel Hill and Edgewood/Swissvale exits, instead of exiting at Wilkinsburg or Forbes Avenue," Myler said. So the heart of Squirrel Hill took a traffic snarling hit. "We did get some feedback from sone local community members about extra traffic in the Squirrel Hill area and people being kind of lost and maybe speeding and things like that," Myler said. "So we're going to work with the city and try and correct some of those things as well for the long term closure that will take place next year." The main detour route revealed some traffic light issues that PennDOT says they expected and have already been addressing with the city. "We'll be implementing those changes over the winter here in preparation for next year to really help them improve that traffic flow when we have high volumes on it next year," Myler said. Those changes will be critical as the 25-day closure will deal with weekday rush hour traffic, a dramatic contrast to this past weekend's closure. As far as some of the other detour routes, PennDOT says there was increased traffic on Rt. 837, Allegheny River Boulevard, and Rt 28, and all those routes handled the extra traffic well.
CBS News
07-08-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
This weekend's Parkway East closure is a preview of a longer closure coming next summer
The full closure of the Parkway East that's happening this weekend will be disruptive to say the least -- but it's just a warmup act for a longer closure that will be taking place next summer. This weekend's closure between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and the Edgewood/Swissvale exit is a necessary closing, but for planning purposes, it will be invaluable. Even a short disruption of the I-376 can cause headaches for drivers, but 20 hours of a total closing in both directions is going to be more problematic than usual. "Especially during the day on Sunday, there's going to be some delays, without a doubt." said PennDOT District 11 Assistant Executive Doug Thompson. While PennDOT needs to close the highway completely to replace the sign outside of the tunnel that spans all lanes, it's also a chance for crews to take a look at potential future issues. "It's going to be a trial run," Thompson said. "You know, a Saturday evening at 9 p.m. to Monday morning closure. It'll definitely give us a feel for how things will be next July, when we have about a 25 day closure of the Parkway." That's right. 25 days of the complete closure using the same detour route as this weekend, so PennDOT will be watching the detour route intersections carefully. Thompson says they'll be looking at what they can do try and and re-time some traffic lights along the route. "Some signals may need replaced and updated," Thompson said. "So we'll be looking at how some of those intersections function, and you know, to verify that potentially there is some improvements needed there." But it's not just intersections being tested. "We're always looking for potential pinch points and backups and things that maybe we need to make some adjustments on," Thompson said. While PennDOT may need to close down one direction of the Parkway during overnight hours in the future for beam deliveries, Thompson says there aren't expected to be any more full closures until next July for the 25 day closure when the new Commercial Street Bridge is slid into place. Thompson says that PennDOT will also be watching for other non-marked detours that drivers may choose like Rt. 837, Allegheny River Boulevard, or Forbes Avenue through Squirrel Hill to see if any adjustments should be made along those routes. The dates for the 25 day closure next summer aren't locked in yet and Thompson says it will depend on how things go with construction and weather, but it will definitely be taking place from mid to late summer next year.
CBS News
29-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Parkway East construction causing headaches and backups, how long will it last?
The mess on the Parkway East over the last couple of days has prompted the question: How long will this last? That question has many answers, but let's just deal with the here and now. Tuesday morning when PennDOT's contract first put the lane restriction into the Squirrel Hill Tunnel into place, it created a monster backup. "That is a very highly-traveled corridor," said John Myler, PennDOT's Senior Assistant Construction Engineer. "Traffic volumes are 100,000 vehicles per day, so I think that's to be expected." Myler said by contract, the contractor could do this for up to 35 days, but that doesn't mean a month-plus straight of single-lane restrictions through the outbound tunnel. "What we're definitely saying right now is for the remainder of this week and next week, we will have this in place," Myler said. To improve the flow at the merge point outside of the tunnel and stop the weaving, Myler explained they're going to look to close the Squirrel Hill ramp to the outbound, eastbound Parkway. Further out on the Parkway, the steel is in place for the outbound bridge over Old William Penn Highway. "By late July, we should be opening that structure up, switching traffic over onto it, and then continuing the second half of the bridge for the remainder of the year," he said. They're also going to be shifting around the lanes out there next week, but that's nothing more than a subtle change. Also, if you're coming to Pittsburgh or you're in Pittsburgh and worried about getting to the U.S. Open later this summer, worry not, they're putting all projects on hold that week. However, remember, this is only the beginning. The new bridge comes next summer, and that project won't conclude until summer 2027.
