Southbound Route 28 is now fully open at the Highland Park Bridge interchange, PennDOT announced Wednesday.

That means that at least two lanes of traffic can travel uninterrupted from Kittanning to Pittsburgh.

The ramp from Virginia Avenue Extension to southbound Route 28 also has reopened.

PennDOT officials said the new lane will address congestion and the existing bottleneck.

From 2009 to 2014, five projects — totaling more than $100 million — aimed to address the traffic bottlenecks at the 31st and 40th Street bridges in Pittsburgh, according to PennDOT.

Those projects, which allowed for free-flow traffic leaving Pittsburgh, pushed the bottleneck to the Highland Park Bridge interchange.

The $47.31 million project’s goal is to help relieve congestion by having two lanes in each direction on Route 28 at the interchange and enhance safety with improved entrance and exit lanes at the bridge.

The two northbound Route 28 lanes at the interchanged reopened earlier this month.

Officials said work will continue on Route 28 through January as crews install signs, finish the sound-dampening wall, and complete barrier and bridge sealing.

Off-peak traffic restrictions will occur as the work continues.

Motorists are advised to allow extra time and use caution when traveling through the work zone.

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