Crossovers, lane restrictions and complete closures highlight changing road conditions in the Pittsburgh area this week. Here’s the rundown:
- Lebanon Road – The Allegheny County Airport tunnel in West Mifflin will have one southbound lane shifted to the northbound side of Lebanon Road (Route 885) in West Mifflin beginning at 6 a.m. Monday and lasting until late June. This will allow one lane in each direction while Golden Triangle Construction Inc. cleans drains, improve lighting and repairs the tunnel. Traffic probably will be shifted again when this phase of the project is done, but that will be announced later.
- Clairton Boulevard – Crews will make another attempt to create a crossover on Clairton Boulevard (Route 51) in Pleasant Hills and Jefferson Hills at 8 p.m. Monday, when traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Coal Valley Road and East Bruceton Street. That will allow preparatory work to shift southbound traffic into the northbound lanes, where there will be one lane in each direction beginning at 5 a.m. Thursday and lasting until mid-June. The crossover had been scheduled earlier this month, but it was postponed due to poor weather. The work is part of a $19.8 million improvement project on the highway from Peters Creek Road in Jefferson Hills to Stewart Street in Pittsburgh that includes substantial road improvements, rehabilitation of three bridges (two over Lewis Run and one over Lebanon Church Road) and adaptive traffic signals at 24 intersections. Work will last until late 2026.
- Boulevard of the Allies – There will be road restrictions in four areas of the highway beginning Monday evening. A short-term restriction will close the ramp from southbound Interstate 579 to the outbound Boulevard of the Allies from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday and Wednesday nights to patch the deck on the ramp. Traffic will be detoured. A long-term restriction also begins Monday, when the ramp from the outbound boulevard to the outbound Parkway East and the inbound ramp from the highway to the I-579 Boulevard of the Allies/Liberty Bridge exit will close as needed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. through late July for concrete repair work and the installation of drainage and downspouts. Additionally, single-lane restrictions will occur as needed in both directions during the same time period on the Parkway East at the Birmingham Bridge. Detours will be posted. The work is part of a $35.4 million project to fix a series of ramps to and from the Boulevard of the Allies to the Parkway East that will finish this summer.
- Pennsylvania Turnpike – The ramp from Interstate 79 north to the turnpike at Cranberry will be closed for four days a week for the next five weeks while crews make repairs at the interchange. The closures will occur from 5 a.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Thursday the weeks of April 7, 14, 21, 28 and May 5. The posted detour has motorists continue north on I-79 to Route 228 west, then take the ramp to I-79 south and enter the turnpike there. The construction project will last until October.
- Talbot Avenue – The ramp from Kenmawr Avenue to Talbot Avenue under the Rankin Bridge in Rankin will close for about seven months beginning at 9 a.m. Monday. The ramp runs from the Kenmawr Avenue intersection with Talbot to Fleet Street. Additionally, Kenmawr will be reduced to one lane each way between Carrie Furnace Boulevard and Braddock Avenue. The work is part of a $9.3 million project by Mosites Construction Co. to rebuild ramps into Braddock, one on Braddock Avenue and the other on Talbot.
- Mars Valencia Road – The road will close at 8 a.m. Monday between Babcock Boulevard and Camp Trees Road in Pine to replace a culvert. Crews from the state Department of Transportation expect to finish the project in late June. A detour will be posted.
- Liberty Tunnel – The tunnel will be reduced to one lane inbound from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday and Tuesday while crews clean inlets.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.