Commercial Street closing Thursday for Parkway East bridge replacement testing work

Commercial Street, which runs underneath the Parkway East outside of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel will be closing Thursday so that testing work can be done for next month's bridge replacement project.

PennDOT announced the one-day closure of Commercial Street, which will take effect starting at 6 a.m. on Thursday. The closure is expected to remain in place through 4 p.m. that day. 

While Commercial Street is closed on Thursday between Whipple Street and Summerset Drive, PennDOT said that crews will be doing a test run for the upcoming replacement of the bridge along the Parkway East before the demolition of the existing bridge and and sliding in of the new bridge. 

Earlier this month, PennDOT Senior Assistant Construction Manager John Myler said that the plan for the test run is to lift the bridge up, move it a foot, bring it back, and set it back down so that crews can verify that everything is working functionally.

Following Thursday's one-day closure, Commercial Street will be closed in the same area, starting Monday, with the closure expected to run through early August while the bridge is being replaced.

For the bridge replacement, the Parkway East is expected to be closed completely from July 10 through August 3. 

During that 25-day closure, PennDOT crews will be demolishing the existing Commercial Street Bridge and sliding in the new bridge, which has been constructed alongside the Parkway East outside of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.

PennDOT will be implementing extensive detour routes during the closure, which have been posted online, along with more information such as frequently asked questions about the project.