PennDOT prepares Pittsburgh drivers for upcoming 25-day Parkway East closure

Drivers in Pittsburgh who take the Parkway East are staring down a massive disruption this summer when the highway will shut down for 25 days. 

On Wednesday night, PennDOT held a virtual meeting to help motorists prepare for this traffic disruption. 

The closure is to replace the Commercial Street Bridge, and it begins on July 10 and will last through August 3. However, that closure will impact around 100,000 drivers daily in each direction. 

During Wednesday night's meeting, PennDOT pointed out that the total closure for a month was the preferred option, rather than partial closures over a long period of time. Project Director John Myler encouraged drivers to plan ahead and study the detours. 

"Our alternate routes, so we have the green route, the yellow route, and the blue route," he said. "While these seem out of the way, they may be the best choice by travel time, depending on your destination." 

Drivers can find those alternate routes on PennDOT's website here. 

Myler added that even though those routes look longer, they could actually be the best option. 

Another suggestion brought forth in the meeting was to encourage remote work or the usage of public transit. 

"One of those things could be considering using [Pittsburgh Regional Transit]'s services during this time," PennDOT District 11 Executive Jason Zang said. "Every car we can get off the road will help improve the way traffic flows." 

According to PennDOT, they are working with PRT to develop something similar to the "Football Flyers" used during the NFL Draft last month. 

During the meeting, Myler and Zang reassured drivers that, from the moment the road closes, they'll be working around the clock to get the old bridge down and the new span slid into place and connected, all within that 25-day window.