Traffic restrictions and truck detours resuming on New Kensington Bridge
NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) -- The work seems to never end on the New Kensington Bridge, and people who live here are dealing with the lane restrictions and detours once again.
"It's a little frustrating, but it kind of needs to be done," said New Kensington resident Larry Bopp.
So, what's being done exactly? Crews are now painting, replacing the fence, and working on the sidewalk of the structure.
For drivers, that means trucks are detoured. Only two 10-foot-wide lanes will be maintained on the bridge.
Each day, single-lane alternating traffic will happen on the New Kensington Bridge between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Ten-minute traffic stoppages will happen as needed during the preservation work.
"I think we're kind of used to it now, so most of the people I know try to avoid it if they can," said New Kensington resident Frank Link.
Inside a New Kensington restaurant, customers know the inconvenience of this work all too well.
"It's the quickest way for us who live down in the flats to go over to the other side of the river, where the Mills Mall is, to get to [Route 28]," Link added.
It's a temporary inconvenience to update what some call an old bridge.
"Obviously, it's important to get it done, you know, so we have to be patient. [It] doesn't happen overnight," said Link.
Business owners might hope the work happens overnight.
"I'm not sure the impact it's had on commerce here, but I'm sure there has been some. You know, people just avoid it."
In the meantime, it's all hands on deck for the New Kensington Bridge before repairs move on to other parts of the Pittsburgh region.
The $24.6 million preservation project started in March 2023, and it's expected to be finished late this year.
PennDOT has provided the following truck detours:
North of the Closure
- Take Freeport Road (Route 1001) northbound
- Freeport Road becomes West 7th Avenue (Route 1001)
- Turn right onto Route 366 and cross the Tarentum Bridge
- Continue straight on Route 366 toward New Kensington onto Stevenson Boulevard
- Turn right onto Seventh Street (Route 56)
- Turn right onto Industrial Boulevard (Truck Route 56)
- Follow Industrial Boulevard back to the New Kensington Bridge
- End detour
South of the Closure
- From the New Kensington Bridge, take Industrial Boulevard (Truck Route 56) eastbound
- Turn left onto Seventh Street (Route 56)
- Turn left onto Stevenson Boulevard (Route 366)
- Bear right toward Route 366 Tarentum onto Tarentum Bridge Road
- Cross the Tarentum Bridge
- Turn left onto East 7th Avenue (Route 1001)
- East 7th Avenue becomes West 7th Avenue (Route 1001)
- West 7th Avenue becomes Freeport Road (Route 1001)
- Follow Freeport Road southbound back to the New Kensington Bridge
- End detour