A party to celebrate the reopening of Pittsburgh's Greenfield Bridge is scheduled for Oct. 14 – nearly two years to the day after the span closed.
But it remains unknown when the bridge will reopen to motorists.
The Greenfield Community Association posted a video on Facebook this weekend inviting people to the bridge party.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/GCAPGH/videos/1524839727559474/[/embed]
Reaction on Facebook to the approaching reopening of the bridge was a mix of joy and relief.
"Can't come soon enough. Traffic has been unbearable!" commenter Josh Mobley said.
"Super stoked!!!! Cannot open soon enough!" wrote Cindy Mains.
"Is going to change my life!!! I can't wait," Jacira Nunes said, ending her comment with four emojis of hands clapping.
Geoff Campbell, president of the Greenfield Community Association, said reopening the bridge will reconnect Greenfield with the rest of city.
"I think a lot of people are excited about the opportunity to get back to Schenley Park and reconnect with Oakland," Campbell said. "They've been patient for two years, and they're excited to have it back."
Campbell said he expects the bridge to reopen to vehicles and pedestrians on Oct. 14. Katie O'Malley, a spokeswoman for the mayor's office, said a date to reopen the bridge to traffic has not yet been set.
The bridge closed on Oct. 15, 2015. There was a party to bid farewell to bridge on Oct. 16. It was demolished after Christmas that year .
The $17.5 million reconstruction project is largest public works project in the city's recent history. The bridge had been scheduled to open in September.
Workers painted the new bridge Thursday and Friday nights , causing lanes on the Parkway East to be closed.
Outbound traffic will be reduced to a single lane from 10 p.m. Monday through 6 a.m. Tuesday as painting work continues.
The bridge originally opened in 1921. Nearly 8,000 vehicles used it daily prior to its closure, when it was in such disrepair that officials had placed netting and a structure beneath the bridge to keep debris from falling onto vehicles on the Parkway East.
Aaron Aupperlee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at aaupperlee@tribweb.com, 412-336-8448 or via Twitter @tinynotebook.
