NFL draft in Pittsburgh: Latest updates on transit, traffic, events and more

The Coast Guard says it will close parts of Pittsburgh's three rivers during the NFL draft to "ensure public safety, safeguard event participants, and protect the maritime transportation system."

Read the full story here. 

With the NFL draft two weeks away, how much are hotel rooms across the Pittsburgh area?  

KDKA takes a look at the prices here.

It's crunch time for the NFL draft, and while preparations are underway on the North Shore, work is expected to start this weekend at Point State Park. Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor said he's confident and excited about the big event. 

"This is a challenge," he said. "Pittsburgh has never hosted anything like this. I think we've been able to plan for a very long time and public safety feels very confident."

Read more here.

Fernando Mendoza, expected to go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, will watch the NFL draft with family and friends in Miami, someone with knowledge of the quarterback's plans said Tuesday.

That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Mendoza hasn't made his plans public.

The draft will take place in Pittsburgh starting April 23, and many top players will be there to receive congratulations and a hug from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. But players, even those who are drafted first, sometimes prefer to watch from a different location.

Pittsburgh is getting a head start on one of its most iconic sights, just in time for the national spotlight later this month.

State and local leaders gathered at Point State Park on Tuesday to turn on the fountain, weeks ahead of schedule, while also unveiling millions of dollars in upgrades tied to the city's future.

Read more here.

The NFL draft excitement is growing by the day, and on Tuesday, Visit Pittsburgh unveiled plans for its "Picksburgh" events that coincide with the draft.

"We're going to have local live music both in Market Square, along with 15 other venues around the city. This is not just Downtown," Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's Jeremy Waldrup told KDKA-TV.

Read more here.   

Traffic experts say the NFL draft will be a test for Pittsburgh's roads. 

In a release from Carnegie Mellon University, Sean Qian, who directs the school's mobility data analytics center, said there are going to be more people on the roads than usual, even though Pittsburgh Regional Transit has warned people not to drive.

Read more here.

Episode 1 of KDKA Draft Command breaks down everything to know ahead of the NFL draft. You can watch the whole thing here.

The Allegheny County Health Department is reminding vendors that their permits need to be in order.

While official draft vendors were selected up to a year ago, the health department says they still need to confirm all health and safety requirements are good to go. 

Watch more here. 

The Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh's North Shore is offering a four-day parking pass with in/out privileges for the NFL draft for $500, plus taxes and fees.

The casino said that a four-day pass for April 22 through April 25 can be purchased online at a 50% discount compared to paying for parking for $250 per day. 

The four-day pass will allow re-entry, unlike individual day passes.

As your home for the Pittsburgh Steelers, KDKA is getting you ready for the NFL draft, too.

Every week in April, all the news and updates related to the draft will be airing in a streaming special as we share everything you need to know, all in one place.

The first "KDKA Draft Command" streaming special premiers on Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m. on CBS News Pittsburgh. 

If there's one thing Pittsburghers love most, well, it's Pittsburgh itself and the people who are from here. 

Now, two Pittsburgh sons will headline the NFL Draft Entertainment Series. The NFL announced that Wiz Khalifa and Bret Michaels will be performing the weekend of the draft, along with Kane Brown. 

Wiz Khalifa will perform on Friday evening before rounds two and three, as will Michaels. 

"Coming home to Pittsburgh for the Draft is pretty special," said Wiz Khalifa. "This city raised me, and the energy here is different. Being back with the fans and representing the city in a moment like this just feels right."

"I cannot be more honored, excited, and fired up to be asked to perform at the Pittsburgh 2026 Draft on Friday night," Michaels added. "As a Pittsburgh native and a diehard fan of the Steelers, the NFL, and all things Pittsburgh, this is a dream come true."    

Brown, the 12-time Country Airplay topper, will close out the weekend with a performance on Saturday. 

All of the shows will take place at the theater next to Acrisure Stadium. 

The Beaver County Transit Authority announced service plans for riders wishing to travel to and from the NFL draft in late April.

The agency said it will be offering rides from the Expressway Travel Center to Downtown Pittsburgh for $5 per person each way or will be offering a $10 unlimited day pass.

Boarding and departure times for all three days of the draft can be found online. 

Pittsburgh Councilman Bobby Wilson has proposed new legislation that would increase parking meter rates Downtown and on the North Shore to $5 per hour while the NFL draft is going on.

With parking lot and garage rates expected to be over $200 per day on the North Shore, the legislation says that the existing penalties for illegal parking aren't likely to serve as a disincentive to violations.

If approved, the increased parking rates would be temporarily in effect from April 22 through April 27. 

Read the full story.

The Pittsburgh City Council unanimously passed a bill that allows 18 law enforcement agencies to assist the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police during the draft. 

Council says the agencies will assist with additional personnel and equipment, and the agreement expires once the draft is over. This includes some county sheriff's offices, municipal departments, and university police departments, as well as federal agencies like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Department of Homeland Security. 

The council said the agreement does not allow for any immigration enforcement activities.

"It's very important to us that ICE does not come in and intimidate our guests," Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Barb Warwick said. 

The assisting agencies will pay their officers out of their own budgets.

The NFL will start building the draft stage next to Acrisure Stadium, and work at the Point over the next few weeks will prepare the area for fan activities. 

Over the weekend, 50 trucks came in and brought 1.5 million pounds of material, which will build the stage. In all, the footprint of the North Shore and Point State Park will be more than 4 million square feet.

Work at the Point will begin around the week of April 10 to get the fan experience and red carpet all set up. 

The NFL is stressing the importance of fans using their OnePass app. It will serve as a way to get in, receive communication during the event, along with a map of where everything is.

Learn more here. 

Pittsburgh's major health systems are preparing for the influx of people coming to the city for the NFL draft.

Allegheny Health Network and UPMC said they're planning for extended care during the event with tents and pop-up care sites around the city and on site at the draft.

Both AHN and UPMC said they've speaking with health care systems in the four previous draft host cities for feedback and guidance.

Read the full story.

Springtime is usually when construction season starts to come into bloom, but with the NFL draft coming to Pittsburgh, a construction moratorium will be in place. 

The moratorium is meant to make sure that traffic flows smoothly with the draft and it's not more complicated for the hundreds of thousands of visitors to get around.  

Read more here.

The first of six phases of road closures for the upcoming NFL draft are now in effect.

On Saturday, the phase of closures around Acrisure Stadium went into effect.

From now through April 12, the areas of Art Rooney Avenue, West General Robinson Street, and Scotland Avenue will be closed. 

PRT and Sheetz announced a partnership that would make fares free from April 23 to April 25. 

"Public transit will play a critical role in the success of the Draft, and we're proud to partner with Sheetz to offer free rides directly to the heart of the event," said PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman. 

Sheetz announced they would be covering all fares on the T, which includes the red, blue, and silver lines, as well as on the Monongahela Incline. 

You can read the entire story here. 

On Friday morning, the Butler Transit Authority released its plan for the NFL draft in Pittsburgh. 

The park and ride location on Lindsay Road in Zelienople will be where BTA and Pittsburgh Regional Transit will begin their coordination for service to draft activities. 

BTA said that buses will run between the Route 528 park and ride and PRT's Ross Park and Ride lot on I-279. When passengers arrive to the Ross Park and Ride, they'll transfer to a PRT bus, which will take them downtown. 

The service between the two park and rides will operate every 30 minutes. 

More information on the Butler Transit Authority plans can be found on their website at this link. 

When the NFL draft comes to Pittsburgh, the brand new Plaza at North Shore will be hosting the following concerts:

• Wednesday, April 22 - Opening night party featuring Nelly
• Thursday, April 23 - Tailgate celebration featuring DJ Steve Aoki
• Saturday, April 25 - 2Chainz concert

Tickets to all the events can be purchased online. 

 Dan Yablonsky, Pittsburghers for Public Transit's digital organizing director, said public transit needs to be the "star" of the draft. 

However, Yablonsky does have some concerns about service, including local bus routes scheduled to run on Saturday service, which is a reduction from their normal frequency.  

Pittsburgh Regional Transit said it will be offering a special pass for bus and "T" riders for the week of the draft.

The "Draft Pass" from PRT will offer unlimited rides for seven days for $25. 

The pass will be able to purchased through PRT's Ready2Ride app starting on April 1.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit said it will operate expanded service from April 23-25, including increased light rail service to Downtown and the North Shore.

Read more about public transit for the NFL Draft.

Western Pennsylvania has historically been a hotbed for producing talent on the gridiron that makes their way through college and to the NFL.

From star players to journeymen special teamers to Super Bowl champions and Hall of Fame inductees, players who called the Pittsburgh area their home have written their names into the NFL's history books. 

Names of NFL stars like Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Aaron Donald, and Darrelle Revis are just a handful of players who called western Pennsylvania home and went on to be great at the professional level. 

Read their stories and the full list.

Allied Universal Event Services put the call out on Thursday morning for a weekend hiring event, looking for security professionals to work the 2026 NFL draft. 

Those interested can expect positions that include access control, monitoring gates, bag checks, and overnight security. 

The hires will make up to $19/hour, it's a part-time job with all shifts available, and no experience is necessary. 

The hiring event will take place on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. at 130 Wabash Street in Pittsburgh. 

You can apply online at this link. 

"The Football Town" is currently airing at the Kamin Science Center on Pittsburgh's North Shore.

The NFL Films-produced documentary that is narrated by Pat McAfee highlights western Pennsylvania's deep-rooted football legacy.

Tickets are available online, including for evening screenings on select dates.

A new cell phone tower has been constructed to boost signals in Pittsburgh ahead of the upcoming NFL draft.

The new tower, installed by Verizon, was built in Point State Park ahead of the event that's expected to bring as many as 700,000 people to the city.

Read the full story.

The Turnpike said it will have NFL draft experiences for customers at five of its service plazas to support the milestone event that's coming to Pittsburgh.

The service plazas at Oakmont, New Stanton, North Midway, North Somerset, and Sideling Hill will feature a selfie station, children's activity areas and a 3D art activity to spread excitement about the draft. 

Visit Pittsburgh created a map showing all the road closures and traffic changes for the NFL draft in April. 

Officials said the closures were "carefully planned" and will be extensive on April 23-25. 

Read more about road closures for the NFL Draft.

As the countdown is on for the NFL draft to come to Pittsburgh, the Better Business Bureau has issued a warning over potential scams surrounding the spectacle event on the city's North Shore and in Point State Park.

The BBB said the scams surrounding the event can focus on things like rental properties, giveaways for fake tickets, and counterfeit merchandise.

As the NFL draft is rapidly approaching, the countdown is on for major redevelopment projects to be completed in Market Square and at the Arts Landing.

Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership President and CEO Jeremy Waldrup said that missing the deadline for the projects is not an option. 

"It may look like there is still a lot of work to be done, but we can 100% guarantee that they will be ready and open for the NFL draft and then for a whole season chock-full of activities," Waldrup said.

Read the full story.

When the NFL draft comes to Pittsburgh, students from Pittsburgh Public Schools will be learning remotely.

The district said it will transition to asynchronous teaching and learning on April 22, 23, and 24 to help cut down on transportation challenges, minimize school operation disruptions, and ensure that students are able to learn safely and effectively.   

Read the full story.

The PicksBURGH Draft Day 5K will take place on Saturday, April 25 as the race steps off near PNC Park and finishes near Point State Park.

P3R said the 5K will give people a chance to run or walk the course while "soaking in the excitement surrounding one of Pittsburgh's biggest sporting events ever."

Read the full story.

Dozens of trees are being removed from Pittsburgh's North Shore.

Nearly 50 trees along Art Rooney Avenue and West General Robinson Street near Acrisure Stadium were marked for removal to accommodate infrastructure and public safety requirements.

Read the full story.

The NFL draft will take over the North Shore and Point State Park, with a map showing where many of the key attractions will be, including the draft stage. 

With less than one month until the NFL draft comes to Pittsburgh, many are wondering how their parking situation will be affected in the city.

Several Pittsburgh parking operators said your best bet is to get a monthly lease now to avoid expensive rates when the NFL draft arrives.

Parking operators are also encouraging people to work from home if that's an option.

Read the full story.

Pittsburgh's NFL draft events will be held on the city's North Shore and in Point State Park with a unique setup split by the Allegheny River.

The draft's theater and main stage will be set up outside Acrisure Stadium and is expected to take up more area than a football field.

Elements of the NFL Draft Experience, the league's interactive fan festival, will be held at Point State Park, transforming the famous Downtown green space.  

Organizers said the area will feature interactive exhibits, youth programming, and food and beverage offerings for fans of all ages.

Read the full story.