Overnight closures planned for Parkway West
Drivers planning to travel on the Parkway West (Interstate 376) into Pittsburgh tonight may want to consider an alternate route.
The state Department of Transportation will close the parkway inbound between the Interstate 79 interchange and the Green Tree/Crafton interchange tonight, rerouting traffic on local roads to allow work to be done on that stretch of highway.
The closure is one of seven planned for the inbound side and nine on the outbound side of the parkway. Outbound closures are planned from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday and Wednesday nights and from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. Friday nights. Closures on the inbound lanes are planned for 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday nights and 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday nights. No overnight closures will occur Sunday nights.
The work is part of a $72.83 million improvement project on the Parkway West. The project includes milling and resurfacing the parkway between I-79 and the Fort Pitt Tunnel.
Safety concerns in the work zone after several serious crashes, numerous close calls and one worker being hit by a vehicle prompted PennDOT to close the parkway while work is done overnight. The problems started in late August when the shoulders were closed and lane widths tightened.
“While we intended to perform this phase of work with single lane overnight restrictions, the work zone proved too difficult for some drivers to navigate, creating safety concerns for other motorists and our workers,” said Dan Cessna, district executive for PennDOT’s District 11.
“We realize these limited overnight closures will cause major traffic inconvenience for motorists and residents,” he added. “But in the overall interest of safety, we made this decision.”
However, the exact schedule of the closures will not be determined until the outcome of the Pittsburgh Pirates wild card game from Wednesday night.
“Once we find that out, we will have a clearer picture when work will be done,” said Steve Cowan, PennDOT press officer. “We won’t have an outbound closure after a Pirates game of a Penguins game. Our schedule is flexible enough to flip-flop the lane closures if necessary.”
Cowan expects to have more information on the closure schedule Friday. Signs will be posted to guide motorists along the detour route.