Parkway East Closed For Five Days
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Parkway East is officially closed for five days straight.
It's shut down in both directions so crews can implode the Greenfield Bridge and clean up the debris.
Monday at 9 a.m., the long-standing structure will be coming down, and the Parkway East must be shut down in the process in order for that to happen.
The shutdown began Sunday at 6 a.m., and it will remain closed until New Year's Day at 6 a.m. But the contractor for the project is hoping to reopen the road to drivers sooner than that.
"We're hoping he can get done a day early, therefore there won't be any inconveniences for New Year's night, but I can't make that guarantee just yet," said Guy Costa, Pittsburgh Operations Manager.
Until then, there will be detours that drivers must follow.
Outbound closures will begin at the Oakland exit. That means you'll have to get off on Forbes Avenue and wind your way through Oakland to Penn Avenue. You'll get back on the Parkway in Squirrel Hill just before the tunnels, but you'll only be able to get back onto the Parkway in Squirrel Hill after the implosion on Monday.
On Sunday, you'll have to get back on the Parkway at Edgewood/Swissvale, but that's Sunday only.
For those of you heading into the city, you must get off the Wilkinsburg exit to Ardmore Boulevard, which then turns into Penn Avenue. You'll follow that to Fifth Avenue through Oakland onto the Boulevard of the allies and back onto the Parkway.
With the Parkway closed and the dirt in place, the countdown is on. After 9 a.m. Monday, the Greenfield Bridge will no longer exist.
Officials say it will take just more than 9 seconds to implode the Greenfield Bridge, and officials say as of 6:30 p.m. Sunday, the implosion will go as scheduled. If the rain picks up or there is heavy fog, things could change, however.
Pittsburgh Police will have around 40 officers at the Greenfield Bridge site, securing the perimeter. That perimeter is being called an exclusion zone. No one will be allowed in that area after 7:30 a.m. Monday, and that includes vehicles.
Police say vehicles can exit that area, but they can't go into that area. That perimeter will be in place for about an hour, and once the site is deemed safe, it will reopen to the public.
Public Works crews say there will be metal fencing, wooden barricades and caution tape surrounding the site, so it will be hard to miss. At 8:57 a.m., the implosion process will start.
"At the three minute mark, there will be three loud air blast horns designating the beginning of the countdown," said Patrick Hassett with the Department of Public Works. "At the one minute mark, all police and Public Safety vehicles in the area will sound their sirens for 15 seconds."
Then, the official implosion will take place at 9 a.m.
If you live within 800 to 1000 feet of the blast zone, crews suggest staying away from windows facing the blast. They don't anticipate them breaking, but it's just to be on the safe side.
If you plan on watching the implosion Monday morning, the best place to view will be from Schenley Park's Overlook Drive. Crews say you won't be able to see anything from Greenfield itself.
You can watch the implosion live on KDKA-TV at 9 a.m. Monday.
