Construction begins at Point State Park for NFL draft

NFL draft construction is underway in Point State Park, closing off a portion of the park as crews start setting up for what will be a major part of the "NFL Draft Experience."

Fences are beginning to surround the park lawns. The portion of the trails along the Monongahela River near the Fort Pitt Museum is completely closed off, with access to the museum and Fort Pitt Block House open.

The southbound side of Commonwealth Place is also closed to allow for a staging area, leading to traffic, at times, around the Wyndham Hotel.

A walk through the park on Saturday meant dodging forklifts that were bringing materials around. Meanwhile, people continued to enjoy a nice day at the park, having picnics, resting, or just looking at the rivers.

KDKA-TV's crew even found one man, Conrad Lloyd, hanging out in a tree.

"Most times I come here when it's not icy or snowy because I feel like it's a nice way to feel like a child again," Lloyd said.

From his perch, he had a view of all the construction. KDKA-TV watched as parents kept their kids away from a platform.

"I just hope they are practicing the best they can with safety because I think there are a lot of crazies downtown who wouldn't be afraid to steal a forklift," Lloyd said.

Safety was also on the minds of the crews. They told KDKA-TV it's the reason the main lawn would be closed starting Sunday as construction intensifies. A Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources spokesperson confirmed there would be additional closures on Sunday, but did not specify exactly where.

"I did not know that, and that is not the best," Lloyd said. "It'll be annoying, I guess, at the very least. I will be treeless for a few weeks."

"It's a bummer, but we'll just wait it out, get back here once it's open again," River Samek, who was enjoying the park with his family, said.

A map on the NFL OnePass shows that access will remain open in some capacity to the fountain at the point in some capacity.

The map, however, did show that there would not be easy access to the Fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge, forcing people to walk to the Roberto Clemente Bridge if they want to cross from one part of the NFL draft footprint to the other.

The Gateway Clipper will also run across the Allegheny River, but a source familiar with the city's planning told KDKA-TV it won't be running for the entirety of the draft.

Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor was asked about draft construction in the morning. Roads are being reconstructed, and fencing and signs are going up, he said.

"We're using weekends to do a lot of it because there's not as much traffic downtown as there would be during the week," O'Connor said.