Parkway East motorists will get a respite from traffic restrictions over the Memorial Day weekend.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will suspend construction at 5 a.m. Friday in the current work zone between Bates Street, Oakland, and the Squirrel Hill Tunnel. Activities will not resume before next Tuesday night after the heavy holiday traffic subsides.

Either two inbound or two outbound lanes have been closed overnight and most weekends since the $38 million project began in late March, resulting in significant traffic delays, especially Saturdays.

This week, two outbound lanes are closed nightly from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. No work is taking place in the inbound direction but inbound on-ramps from Beechwood Boulevard and Forward Avenue are closed.

The project eventually will extend east to the Wilkinsburg-Swissvale Exit, covering more than four miles of the Parkway East. After the concrete base is repaired, the road is to be resurfaced.