Second Westbound Squirrel Hill Tunnel Closure Occurs this Weekend

The second of eight possible Squirrel Hill Tunnel closures will be occurring this weekend, so plan ahead.

The westbound (inbound) closure will occur from 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3, through 5 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 6. Signs will be posted to guide motorists. The posted detour will require westbound traffic to form a single lane exiting at the Edgewood Swissvale interchange (Exit 77). Significant delays should be expected.

he outbound (eastbound) tunnel will remain open, although short-term traffic stoppages may occur for equipment access and material removal.      

Motorists are reminded to use all open lanes to the merge point. 

To minimize impacts on businesses, different detours will be used during day and night hours. PennDOT has made improvements at key intersections and police will be posted to keep traffic moving on the posted detours. 

A map of the detour has been posted in the media section of this article.

Daylight detour

• Exit at Edgewood Swissvale (Exit 77)
• Make right onto South Braddock Avenue
• Left onto Forbes Avenue
• Left onto Beechwood Boulevard
• Right onto Forward Avenue
• Left onto Murray Avenue
• Access ramp to westbound I-376

Night detour

• Exit at Edgewood Swissvale (Exit 77)
• Make right onto South Braddock Avenue
• Left onto Forbes Avenue
• Left onto Murray Avenue
• Bear right on Murray Avenue
• Access ramp to westbound I-376

Suggested alternate detour (if westbound Parkway East is congested)

• Exit onto northbound Route 8/Ardmore Boulevard at Wilkinsburg Interchange (Exit 78)
• Continue north on Penn Avenue
• Make left onto Braddock Avenue
• Make right onto Forbes Avenue
• From Forbes Avenue, follow detours provided above.

PennDOT also suggests taking the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Monroeville to the I-79 interchange and following I-79 south to the Parkway North (I-279) to Pittsburgh. Travelers from the east may also consider using westbound I-70 to northbound I-79 to the eastbound (inbound) Parkway West (I-376).         

The $49.5 million project to rehabilitate the Squirrel Hill Tunnel includes updating electrical, lighting, air control and ventilation systems, structural repairs to the walls and arched ceiling, tile repairs, installation of a water line and other improvements.

In addition to other rehabilitation work and multiple improvement activities, crews will continue removing the drop-ceiling and concrete patching the roadway inside the westbound tunnel. When overall work is completed, vertical clearance in the westbound tunnel will increase by two feet from 13 feet, 6 inches to 15 feet, 6 inches. Preservation and rehabilitation work will also continue on the bridge that carries westbound I-376 over Commercial Street. 

PennDOT has created a webpage for the project the features general information and detour route travel times and cameras. Go to www.dot.state.pa.us/district11 and click the Squirrel Hill Tunnel Rehabilitation Project link on the right.

Motorists are advised to use caution, slow down, and expect changing traffic patterns when traveling through the area. Visit 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions on major roadways before traveling. 

Get construction updates and traffic advisories from PennDOT by sending email addresses to jstruzzi@pa.gov. Please type “Subscribe-Parkway East” in the subject line.

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