A stretch of Saw Mill Run Boulevard will be closing tonight for several weeks. Here's how to detour around the closure.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A construction closure along Rt. 51 is expected to bring traffic trouble for thousands of drivers over the next several weeks.
Anyone who drives along the busy roadway is going to want to plan for extra time during their commute once the closure between Crane Avenue and Woodruff Street goes into effect at 9 p.m. tonight.
The road will be closed between Crane Avenue and Woodruff Street until August 26.
The bridge that sits above Route 51 near Woodruff Street is being torn down as PennDOT says it's not feasible to keep repairing and maintaining the bridge -- but say the process shouldn't be all that challenging.
PennDOT says demolition crews will be working around the clock in order to try and get the project completed in a timely manner.
When it comes to getting around the closure, PennDOT says that they typically try and route drivers along state-owned roadways when possible.
For drivers headed north on Route 51, the official detour will send you into the Liberty Tunnel, across the Liberty Bridge, down the Boulevard of Allies, onto Stanwix Street, onto the Parkway West, through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, and onto the Banksville Road exit ramp to Route 51.
Drivers heading south can use the same detour route, but in the opposite direction.
The official truck detour travels through Green Tree, Mt. Lebanon, and Dormont, but for cars there are other local alternatives.
Is there an easier detour to take?
"There's always plenty of other ways around that that people find that work best for them," said PennDOT District 11 Asst. District Engineer Doug Thompson. "But you know, we don't advertise those directions."
Drivers will be able to turn onto Crane Avenue, up and over the hill through Beechview, and down to Banksville Road.
On the other end of the closure, drivers can take Woodruff Street up to Mt. Washington and across Virginia and Wyoming to Boggs Avenue.
If you choose either of those alternatives, just know you could end up in a lengthy backup, as both travel through mainly residential areas.
PennDOT says they understand the level of inconvenience for all of this and while August 26 is the goal, if they can get it done faster and reopen the road, they will.
