​

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing a time change for overnight closures for beam setting on I-579 in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, will occur on Friday and Saturday nights beginning tonight Friday night, May 29 weather permitting.

Box beam installation work requiring closures on I-579 will now occur from 7 p.m. to 10 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Weeknight closures will continue from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night between the Center Avenue exit and the Bigelow Boulevard overpass.

Additionally, northbound I-579 overnight closures will continue next week, Monday, June 1 through Saturday night, June 6.

Posted Detours

To Continue on Northbound I-579

• From northbound I-579, take the PPG Arena/Centre Avenue off-ramp

• Turn left onto Washington Place

• Stay in the left lane and follow signs toward North 579/Veterans Bridge

• Take the ramp to North 579/Veterans Bridge

• End detour

Northbound I-579 to Bigelow Boulevard

• From northbound I-579, take the PPG Arena/Centre Avenue off-ramp

• Turn left onto Washington Place

• Stay in center lane and follow signs for East 380/Bigelow Boulevard

• Take the ramp to East 380/Bigelow Boulevard

• End detour

Alternate Detour From Westbound I-376 Parkway East

• Continue past the Boulevard of the Allies/Liberty Bridge (Exit 72B) off-ramp

• Take the North 279 off-ramp (Exit 70C) toward Fort Duquesne Bridge/North Shore

• Continue onto the Fort Duquesne Bridge

• Stay in the right two lanes toward North 279

• Continue onto northbound I-279 (Parkway North)

• End detour

Alternate Detour From the Liberty Bridge

• From the Liberty Bridge, take the East 376 off-ramp toward Oakland/Monroeville/Boulevard of the Allies

• At the end of the ramp, turn left onto the Boulevard of the Allies toward Downtown Pittsburgh

• Follow the Boulevard of the Allies to Commonwealth Place

• Turn left onto Commonwealth Place

• Take the ramp to merge onto the Fort Duquesne Bridge

• Continue onto the Fort Duquesne Bridge

• Stay in the right two lanes toward North 279

• Continue onto northbound I-279 (Parkway North)

• End detour

A single-lane restriction will occur on southbound I-579 each night of the northbound closures.

Overnight closures will continue in both directions (not simultaneously) during the beam setting operations.  Additional details will be provided when the closures are scheduled.

The $29.34 million project, sponsored by the City of Pittsburgh and the Sports and Exhibition Authority, consists of the construction of a structure spanning I-579 to link downtown Pittsburgh and the Hill District. In part, the Cap project will create a new three-acre greenspace which will include pedestrian pathways, bicycle routes, rain gardens for stormwater management, and design elements from neighborhood artists. Additional construction activities include retrofitting existing retaining walls and bridges to accommodate the new structure, roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements, traffic signals, highway lighting, ITS, and landscaping. For additional details on the project including information on sustainability, funding, and public input please visit http://www.pgh-sea.com/LHR-i579cap.htm.

The Joseph B. Fay Company is the prime contractor.

Work on this project will be in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health guidance as well as a project-specific COVID-19 safety plan, which will include protocols for social distancing, use of face coverings, personal and job-site cleaning protocols, management of entries to the jobsite, and relevant training.

To help keep motorists informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for I-579 Crosstown Boulevard traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by sending email addresses to stcowan@pa.gov. Please write “Subscribe – I-579 Cap Project” in the subject line.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 950 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

MEDIA CONTACT: Steve Cowan, 412-429-5010

# # #