Inbound Squirrel Hill Tunnel closed this weekend
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Courteous driver behavior will help reduce traffic problems when the inbound lanes of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel close Friday night for a weekend of rehabilitation work, PennDOT said in a statement issued today.
The Friday-night-to-Monday morning shutdown of the westbound tunnel lanes is the first of eight such closings planned by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation this year and next.
Drivers coming into the city over the weekend will have to leave the Parkway East at the Edgewood/Swissvale interchange, Exit 77. While westbound traffic will have to form a single lane to follow the detour route, PennDOT is asking drivers to use all lanes to the merge point.
The tunnel lanes will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
PennDOT has announced a three-year, $49.5 million project to restore the tunnel interior, upgrade electrical and ventilation systems and raise overhead clearance by two feet. That last step is designed to reduce traffic jams caused by over-height trucks being stopped and turned around at the tunnel entrances.
The posted daytime detour follows South Braddock Avenue, Forbes Avenue, Beechwood Boulevard, and Forward and Murray avenues back to the parkway. PennDOT recommends that drivers avoid Beechwood and Forward at night, staying on Forbes to Murray to return to the parkway.
The eastbound tunnel will remain open over the weekend, but traffic may be stopped for short periods while contractors move materials and equipment.
PennDOT has created a website to provide the public access to travel times on the detour routes. The website is available at http://public.jamlogic.com/Trafax/264/1.
First Published July 25, 2012 11:20 am
