When will the I-376 bridge close and reopen? A timeline of the Parkway East closure

A major, nearly monthlong closure of Pittsburgh's Parkway East will begin soon, detouring hundreds of thousands of drivers. 

During the closure, all through traffic on Interstate 376 will have to get off at either the Wilkinsburg exit or the Forbes Avenue/Oakland exit. PennDOT has posted detours online, and the agency is telling drivers to expect significant delays.

The closure is scheduled to last 25 days, though PennDOT said "unforeseen issues" may arise during the project, so dates are subject to change. 

When will the Parkway East close?

The Parkway East is scheduled to close on July 10 at 9 p.m. 

PennDOT has been building a new Commercial Street Bridge next to the old one, and during the closure, crews are going to demolish the old structure and slide a new one into place. PennDOT released a video showing an overview of what the project will look like. 

It's expected to be one of the biggest accelerated bridge construction, or ABC, projects ever performed in Pennsylvania. 

When will the Parkway East reopen?

The Parkway is scheduled to reopen on Aug. 3, though that date could change. 

To try to keep the project on track, PennDOT said there's a monetary incentive for the contractor to complete the work early. If it takes longer than 25 days, there are financial disincentives.

Under the bridge, Commercial Street/Forward Avenue and the Nine Mile Run Trail have been closed since June. They won't reopen until cleanup is complete and it's determined that the road and trail are safe to use.  

Why is the Parkway East closing for so long? 

While 25 days may seem like a long time, PennDOT said conventional construction methods would have required about four years of work. All the parkway traffic would have been squeezed to one side, and there would have been continuous lane closures and restrictions. 

"While the one-month closure will still push traffic into nearby neighborhoods, it's far less disruptive than four years of constant congestion," PennDOT wrote on its website.