Armstrong Tunnel closure highlights weekend road work

Fewer major activities in the Pittsburgh area this weekend after Friday’s Pittsburgh Steelers preseason game means more work on area roadways.

Here are some traffic disruptions motorists can expect this weekend:

• Armstrong Tunnel — The outbound tunnel between Forbes Avenue and Second Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood already is closed for rehabilitation, but the inbound tunnel also will close this weekend so crews can clean the entire Second Avenue entrance/exit. The tunnel will close from 8 p.m. Friday through 8 p.m. Sunday so crews from Mosites Construction Co. can do the work. Additionally, the inbound ramp from the Parkway East to Second Avenue, exit 71B, will be closed from 7 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday. The work is part of a $13.1 million project by Allegheny County to brighten the tunnel and improve safety with new side walls, brighter lights and a new electrical system. The outbound tunnel was finished in April, but work is continuing on the inbound tunnel.
•  South Oakland — Traffic calming work that had been scheduled to start Friday on Parkview Avenue has been postponed until Monday. The work between Boulevard of the Allies and Swinburne Street will include speed humps, more extensive street markings at crosswalks, and painted stripes along the curb at intersections to discourage parking there so motorists and pedestrians can see better in that area. The physical changes will be made Monday, and street markings will be added on Tuesday. Flaggers will allow local traffic on the street, but motorists may experience minor delays. The area was approved for street humps after a traffic study found that 55% of drivers exceed the speed limit of 25 miles an hour. Mayor Ed Gainey said in a news release that this is the first step in a series of neighborhood traffic improvements.
• Interstate 79 — Traffic will be reduced to one lane on the southbound side in Robinson and Kennedy from 7 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday so crews can patch concrete. The work area will be between the Route 60 Moon Run/Crafton exit and the I-376 Airport/Pittsburgh exit. The work also means the closure of the ramps from northbound Route 60 to I-79 South and from southbound I-79 to Route 60 South/Crafton (Exit 60A). The work is part of a $15 million project to upgrade the highway from the I-376 Airport/Pittsburgh interchange to about a half-mile north of the Route 60 Moon Run/Crafton (Exit 60 A/B) interchange. The project is expected to last until spring 2025.
• Parkway East — This week’s work will be limited to the outbound side of the highway, where traffic will be reduced to one lane between the Penn Hills/Route 791 North (Exit 81) interchange and the bridge over Old William Penn Highway from 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday. Crews will conduct concrete patching operations. The $70.1 million project by Swank Construction Co. LLC will upgrade the highway between the Churchill and Monroeville exits. That weekend restriction will be followed by traffic being limited to one lane each way near the Greensburg Pike exit from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Tuesday for inspection work.