Long-term closure of Commercial Street to begin this week for Parkway East bridge construction

PITTSBURGH — A long-term closure of Commercial Street and Nine Mile Run Trail in Pittsburgh will begin Monday.

The closure will last until Jan. 30, as crews work on constructing the new Commercial Street Bridge.

Starting at approximately 7 a.m. on Monday, Commercial Street/Forward Avenue will close to traffic between Whipple Street and Summerset Drive.

During this time, the Nine Mile Run Trail will close to all bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Nine Mile Run parking lot on the Swisshelm Park side and the Frick Park Commercial Street Parking lot on the Squirrel Hill side.

Drivers will be detoured from Commercial Street on the Swisshelm Park side by turning onto Whipple Street, then left onto Monongahela Avenue, left onto S Braddock Avenue, left onto Forbes Avenue, left onto Beechwood Boulevard, and continuing to Forward Avenue.

The same detour applies in the opposite direction from Forward Avenue on the Squirrel Hill side.

Construction involves transporting cranes, lifting beams and relocating other heavy material over the roadway and trail, necessitating the closure for public safety.

The long-term closure of Commercial Street/Forward Avenue and Nine Mile Run Trail is essential for the safe completion of the new bridge structure, impacting traffic patterns in the area for over two years.

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