PennDOT plans closure of inbound Parkway East next weekend

PennDOT will close part of the inbound Parkway East next weekend, a PennDOT spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

The westbound lanes will be closed from Friday, June 14 through Monday morning, June 17, Steve Cowan said.

Details of the closure have not yet been finalized, he said.

“We are still working out the exact times of the start of the closure, as well as the lane restrictions leading up to the closure,” Cowan said. “Additionally, we are still working through closures/restrictions at the inbound Squirrel Hill/Homestead interchange.”

Trucks will be detoured at the Wilkinsburg exit; other vehicles will be able to continue to the Edgewood/Swissvale exit.

About 90,000 vehicles travel the Parkway East daily, Cowan said. There’s typically fewer on weekends, but PennDOT doesn’t have data broken down by day.

“When you close an interstate and put vehicles on roadways that were not designed to handle that amount of traffic, heavy congestion will occur,” he said. “Motorists should avoid the area if possible and look for alternate routes. If that is not an option, they should give themselves plenty of extra time to get to their destination.”

The Pirates will be playing out of town that weekend, against the Marlins. But it will be the last weekend for the Three Rivers Arts Festival, which runs from Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 16.

“It is extremely difficult to accomplish work of this nature while trying not to impact the multitude of regional events,” Cowan said. “We work with the city and various stakeholders to try to find weekends that will be the least impactful for everyone.