If you hit the road this weekend, you may have noticed something missing: traffic on the Parkway East. That's because the roadway was completely closed throughout the weekend for PennDOT repair work. 

The closure gave crews time to complete necessary upgrades, but it also caused frustration for drivers. 

The Parkway East was scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. on Monday; however, PennDOT on Sunday evening announced it has reopened to a single lane of traffic. Westbound I-376 was scheduled to reopen around 11 p.m.

Commuters who were trying to navigate around the closure were feeling the strain with backed-up detours. Some drivers even said that back roads, not part of the detours, were backed up.

"It's terrible, it's terrible. You can't go anywhere. Even if you avoid the Parkway, there's traffic," said Jenai Gaza.

"I'm probably not going to navigate it. I'm going the opposite way," said Lupe Deanda when asked about detour plans.

Even with signed detours in place, many roadways were seeing increased congestion.

"It's a mess," said Joi Edmonds. "I was trying to get on from the Edgewood area, and I think the ramp is closed, so everything is super difficult."

For those still needing to navigate through the area, here are the official PennDOT detour routes:

• Westbound drivers should exit at Wilkinsburg, then follow Route 8, Penn Avenue, Fifth Avenue, and Boulevard of the Allies back to the Parkway.
• Eastbound drivers will exit at Forbes Avenue, then proceed to Bellefield, Fifth Avenue, Penn Avenue, and Route 8, returning to the Parkway.

If possible, using Route 837 or Route 28 may help avoid some of the heaviest delays from traffic coming into one area. The Squirrel Hill/Homestead (Exit 74) interchange will remain open to use. Motorists traveling on westbound I-376 will be able to access the Edgewood/Swissvale (Exit 77) interchange; however, traffic will be down to a single lane.

According to PennDOT, the weekend closure is being used to replace signage and look for any potential issues.

"I can understand why they're shutting it down and when. If it needs to be done, this is the perfect time for it," said Lupe Deanda.

This weekend is just a preview of a much larger project, a 25-day closure scheduled for next year to replace the Commercial Street Bridge. The overall project is anticipated to conclude in the summer of 2027.

"I don't want to think about it," said Gaza.