Getting around the Pittsburgh area gets more complicated this weekend with crossovers in two areas and other projects kicking into gear. Here’s the rundown:
- Route 51 – Crews will begin creating a long-term crossover beginning at 8 p.m. Friday between Coal Valley Road in Pleasant Hills and East Bruceton Street in Jefferson Hills. Southbound traffic should be shifted to the northbound side of the highway by late Saturday, and one lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction until June. Drivers heading north will only be able to turn left at traffic signals. Additional crossovers and single-lane restrictions will occur throughout the $19.8 million project, which includes preservation work on two bridges over Lewis Run and one over Lebanon Church Road. Work also includes improvements at 24 intersections from Peters Creek Road in Jefferson Hills to Stewart Avenue in Pittsburgh, including new signals at nine sites through late 2026.
- McKnight Road – The other crossover begins at 7 a.m. Saturday when southbound traffic shifts to the northbound lanes between Ross Municipal Drive and Brookview Lane at the Babcock Boulevard interchange with one 12-foot lane in each direction. The southbound ramp from McKnight to Babcock Boulevard and the ramps to and from northbound McKnight at the Babcock interchange will remain open, but the ramp from Babcock to southbound McKnight will be closed until late April. Detours will be posted. Another crossover will be created when this work is done. Lindy Paving Inc. should finish the $27 million project between Venture Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side and Perrymont Road in McCandless this summer.
- Route 8 – Work will resume Monday between Saxonburg Boulevard and Route 28 in Shaler and Etna from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weeknights through late October. Weekend work will be scheduled as needed. At least one lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained during the majority of the work, but there will be three separate one-way detours of the 62nd Street Bridge this season, a weekend detour of Saxonburg Boulevard at the intersection with Route 8 and a detour for the reconstruction of the ramp carrying Route 28 southbound traffic onto northbound Route 8 before the $9.1 million project is finished late this year.
- Parkway East – Old William Penn Highway in Monroeville will be closed from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday so crews can demolish the Parkway East bridge above the highway. The detour for traffic east of the closure has motorists turn from Old William Penn onto northbound Garden City Drive, then left on Laurel Drive back to Old William Penn. Traffic west of the closure should follow the reverse route. The work is part of the $70 million project to improve the highway between Churchill and Monroeville.
- Negley Avenue Bridge – The bridge in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood will be closed to vehicles during daytime hours Saturday through April 6 for pre-engineering analysis of the deck and foundation of the bridge. The closures will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. Pedestrians still will be able to use the bridge. The bridge has been in poor condition for more than a decade, and this work is in advance of a rehabilitation project under development.
- McKees Rocks Bridge – Traffic will be restricted at the bridge’s intersection with Ohio River Boulevard (Route 65) beginning at 3 a.m. Monday through mid-May for work on the center lane of the bridge. Traffic will be closed from the bridge to northbound Ohio River Boulevard and Brighton Heights Boulevard, and all motorists will have to turn right and drive south. Detours will be posted. Southbound motorists on Ohio River Boulevard will be able to get on the bridge. The work is part of a $38.6 million preservation project on the bridge and its ramps that will finish in the fall.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.