Double Detour Ahead Of Squirrel Hill Tunnel Closures
PITTSBURGH (KDKA)— In addition to the heat, summer construction in Pittsburgh can be exhausting, especially when detours are involved.
This detour isn't something you see every day.
There's a twist in this weekend's closure of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.
Crews are doing work on a dam at the Edgewood-Swissvale exit. The problem: the exit ramp has been a mode of re-entry to the parkway as part of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel detour.
Contractors say you can still come off of the parkway and travel along Forward Avenue during the day.
You can also drive through the Squirrel Hill business district in the evening but when you get to Forbes and South Braddock Avenues, you'll be directed to turn left instead of the usual detour through Regent Square.
Local business owners say the detours have a big impact on business.
"It's a tough call," says Ermanno Dipasquale from Salvatore's Restaurant. "It's going to get some people upset getting in here and also for people who place phone orders and they can't get to us fast enough."
The alternate route takes drivers a mile further but involves more traffic lights.
Based on traffic patterns, the lights could impact the time it takes to get through the detour.
"Once the tunnel is closed, they're doing work 24/7 through the tunnels, " PennDOT District Executive Dan Cessna says.
PennDOT recommends that if you know alternate ways, understand that people are traveling through town and don't know any other way to go.
There is a bright side--- construction work is ahead of schedule and crews may not have to execute as many previously scheduled closures.
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