Ready or not, Fort Pitt repairs begin

The Pirates printed a brochure for fans who will be making a post-game "home run" south, west and east of the city.

The Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce passed out 10,000 fact sheets and hosted meetings for up to 250 nervous business people.

		Maps Leaving Downtown Going to the  airport Alternate airport route Getting Downtown

The Convention and Visitors Bureau mailed detour maps to leaders of conventions that will bring 15,000 visitors to the city over the next three months.

And the usually divided Allegheny County commissioners have unanimously agreed on something: A proclamation declaring April "You Can Get There Month."

If you don’t know what’s going on by now, you still have four days to find out and prepare, because at Fort Pitt, Thursday is it.

At 6 a.m. that day, PennDOT will close the lanes that carry traffic from the Fort Duquesne Bridge to the Fort Pitt Bridge on a connector over Point State Park. The work, which could last three months, will require detours of Interstate 279 North traffic that would normally have a straight shot to the Parkway West, and it will also shut off access from Fort Duquesne Boulevard and the 10th Street Bypass to the Fort Pitt Bridge.

It promises to be the most disruptive work yet in the decade-long repair project on the 40-year-old Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel.

	Officials work to make airport travel painless By Mark Belko Post-Gazette Staff Writer The Allegheny County Department of Aviation intends to be prepared when the Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel close in a couple of years for rehabilitation. Helicopters, perhaps? No, Aviation Director Kent George said, but the department plans an all-out effort to make life easier for travelers, airlines and other tenants, and employees at Pittsburgh International Airport when the shutdown occurs. George said aviation officials will be working with the Port Authority, the state Department of Transportation, travel agents, the airlines and others to develop a strategy to help people get to and from the airport. Possible ideas include information sheets, maps showing alternate routes, carpooling, and perhaps even flex time schedules, he said. ``You've got to be pro-active on it,'' he said. George said the airport is planning no special initiatives for the impending closing of the two-lane Fort Pitt-Fort Duquesne connector bridge but probably will provide notices to tenants and employees regarding the shutdown. Dollar Rent A Car at the airport is giving maps to customers showing alternate routes to bypass the construction area. Representatives for other airport rental car agencies said they didn't know of any specific plans to alert customers of the connector bridge shutdown.

Closing just one link of Western Pennsylvania’s most heavily traveled stretch of road will force 30,000 vehicles a day to divert to other routes that already are at capacity during rush hours.

It’s the biggest project in a summer of orange barrels. Even if you can avoid the Fort Pitt tie-up, chances are you’ll encounter one of the other major projects: the interchange at Routes 8 and 28; Route 51 in Jefferson; or the Parkway East.

But Fort Pitt is the No. 1 challenge, as can be seen in these Pennsylvania Department of Transportation preparations: 11 official detours, 2,000 construction and detour signs as far north as Cranberry, and extra police assigned to as many as 50 intersections on opening day.

PennDOT views this phase of work as a "dress rehearsal" for four more years of similar work, highlighted in 2002 and 2003 when one side of the Fort Pitt Tunnels and one deck of the Fort Pitt Bridge will be closed each year.

"We’re doing everything possible to make this as painless as possible," PennDOT District 11 engineer Ray Hack said. "The major disruption will not last more than three months and, with a little bit of thought and advance planning, we think people will find their way, often with very little difficulty and inconvenience."

In brief, here’s what you will or won’t be able to do starting Thursday morning:

If you drive across the Fort Duquesne Bridge toward Downtown, you will be forced to exit onto either the 10th Street Bypass or Fort Duquesne Boulevard eastbound.

You will not be able to go straight ahead as you usually would to reach the Fort Pitt Bridge (and the Parkway West outbound), Fort Pitt Boulevard or the Parkway East via Fort Pitt Boulevard.

If you’re coming down Fort Duquesne Boulevard or the 10th Street Bypass toward the Point, you’ll be directed either to the Fort Duquense Bridge outbound or onto a detour through Downtown, via the U-shaped ramp to Commonwealth Place near the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers. From there you can make a right onto the Liberty Avenue ramp to the bridge.

You will not be able to use the overpass that leads to the Fort Pitt Bridge.

Trumbull Corp., primary contractor for the $15.3 million project, has been offered up to $574,000 in incentives to finish ahead of the 90-day deadline. Company officials said they may be able to repair and reopen the connector, known as the Portal Bridge, early to relieve congestion. But workers may require all 90 days to rehabilitate a second bridge ramp that connects I-279 to the Fort Pitt Bridge.

Then, starting about Aug. 1, the work will shift to the Liberty-Penn Avenue access to Fort Pitt Bridge.

Hack said it is important to note that all other access to the Fort Pitt Bridge will be open, and traffic from the Fort Pitt Bridge to Downtown, the Parkway East and points north will be unrestricted. For events at Three Rivers Stadium, drivers will have no trouble getting there, but they’re likely to face detours or use alternate routes on their run home.

In addition, the main access to Point State Park beneath the Portal Bridge will be maintained, although only one of the two wide walkways over the reflecting pond will be open at a time. Temporary wire nets will be rigged above to catch any debris from the overhead work zone.

Next year, PennDOT is to award a contract to do the inbound Fort Pitt Bridge-related ramps.

PennDOT believes everyday users may face initial discomfort until they figure out the best travel alternatives, and local agencies are promoting public transit and carpooling.

Officials are also trying to reach out to people unfamiliar with Pittsburgh and its maze of roads, such as conventioneers.

"I’ve already had numerous calls from out-of-town people coming for weddings," said PennDOT project engineer Ken Andreatta.

Although the orange barrels are to be out and detours in effect at 6 a.m. Thursday, Trumbull won’t be busting up the old concrete for about another week.

Workers will be surveying "to make sure we put things back the way they are today," said Trumbull project manager Kim Schultz. Others will be removing guard rail, sawing the concrete deck and guard rails and doing other preliminary tasks.