Major roadwork projects on McKnight Road and I-79 kicking off today and tomorrow
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Two major road construction projects this year will be kicking into high gear today and tomorrow.
As always, John Shumway is on top of where the driving discomfort will be hitting and in both cases here, we're talking about a summer full of lane closures.
For the past few weeks, there have been small lane restrictions on McKnight Road as crews worked to clean out catch basins and address hillsides next to the roadway, but starting at 9:00 a.m. today, there's going to be a long-term right lane restriction in place from Babcock Boulevard to Braunlich Drive.
In the overnight hours, that one-lane restriction will turn to two lanes so that crews can safely do some work in that particular area.
The northbound restriction will be around the clock, while southbound will be restricted to the midday hours.
"As they complete a section they might be jumping around to different areas of the road," said Doug Thompson with PennDOT.
This work is expected to last all the way through the summer.
Meanwhile, starting at 7 p.m. tonight, the final prep work will be intense on Interstate 79 ahead of tomorrow's crossover.
From just north of the Moon-Crafton interchange to just before the Neville Island Bridge, the northbound lanes will split with an express lane crossing over to the southbound side and a local access lane staying on the northbound side.
"That's all in an effort to control our work zone so we can reconstruct the northbound corridor," Thompson said.
Once those restrictions are put in place on Saturday night, they'll last until November.
The lanes will be narrower than we are used to and the speed limit will be slowed down to 45 miles per hour.
