Parkway East closings to mid-September scheduled

PennDOT will close the outbound Parkway East starting Friday and this morning released its schedule for shutting down the interstate for the next month.

No work will occur during the Labor Day holiday weekend but the state highway agency will close the outbound lanes other weekends through Sept. 10.

PennDOT has been closing the highway each weekend to allow for bridge work -- part of its $38 million improvement project between Oakland and Edgewood. Work is scheduled to end later this year. This is the ninth weekend closing of the 12 weekend shut downs scheduled this year.

The outbound closing this weekend will start at 11 p.m. Friday and last until 6 a.m. Monday between the Squirrel Hill exit and near the Edgewood-Swissvale exit. Also, one outbound lane will close between the Bates Street exit and the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.

Friday's start time was moved from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. to accommodate fans leaving the Pirates baseball game.

Also, several ramps at the Squirrel Hill exit and the Edgewood-Swissvale on-ramps heading outbound will be closed.

About 80,000 motorists use the highway on an average weekend day. There are no inbound closings scheduled this weekend.

The posted PennDOT detour from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. will guide motorists onto Beechwood Boulevard and bypass the Squirrel Hill business area. The route then follows Forbes, Braddock and Penn avenues.

At other times, the posted detour will follow Forward, Murray, Forbes, Braddock and Penn avenues.