The eastern suburbs aren’t being left out of the mix of traffic restrictions: Parkway East concrete repair work is continuing this construction season between the Bates Street and Churchill interchanges.

Although the work is taking place during off-peak hours, they aren’t off-peak for about 50,000 drivers a day on Saturday and about 30,000 every Sunday.

		Parkway East map

Those are times when people are shopping, visiting and headed to everywhere from the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Monroeville retail stores to Downtown and Kennywood Park.

Traffic restrictions can be inbound, outbound or both.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is requiring the contractor to keep one lane open, even in areas where there are three lanes in each direction.

Here’s PennDOT’s game plan for the $3.2 million project, which began last fall but was suspended in mid-November for winter:

l Scheduled work hours for practically every week are 10 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday, and from 10 p.m. Friday around the clock until 6 a.m. Monday.

l The schedule can change, depending on weather and events in Pittsburgh. For example, no work is to be done over the Independence Day weekend.

l The contractor has a great deal of discretion, and will work in sections at a time, not the overall length of the project. Ramps will be closed on occasion.

PennDOT has established a toll-free phone service, 1-877- 777-8985, that is updated by midday each Monday with plans for the upcoming week.