Revised: Major G-20 Road Closures Set

Pittsburgh police have revised their transportation safety plan for the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh.

The following streets around the Omni William Penn will close at 8 p.m. Wednesday:

-- Grant at Fifth -- Grant at Sixth -- Sixth and Ross -- Strawberry at Ross -- Strawberry at Grant -- Grant at Seventh -- William Penn Place at Seventh -- Smithfield at Seventh -- Strawberry at Smithfield -- Sixth at Smithfield -- Oliver at Smithfield -- Smithfield between Fifth and Oliver -- William Penn Place at Sixth

The following streets will be shut down starting at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday: -- Boulevard of the Allies -- Schenley Drive from Darlington Road to Frank Curdo Drive -- Overlook Drive from the Boulevard of the Allies to Greenfield

DOWNTOWN CLOSURES:

The following minor revisions to the Transportation Safety Plan were also announced:

The Stanwix Street outbound ramp will be closed. This will be the only exiting ramp in the Central Business District in which permitted vehicles cannot exit.

Additionally, one block of Bedford Avenue, outbound between Washington Plaza and Lemieux Drive, will be closed.

Police said all streets are scheduled to reopen on Friday at about 7 p.m.

Additional traffic restrictions for the summit will go into effect at midnight Wednesday and will tentatively reopen Friday evening.

People who live downtown will be able to drive into the area only if they present a driver's license showing a downtown address. Business district workers will not be allowed to drive in, and instead will be encouraged to park on its periphery and take public transit or walk into downtown.

VIDEO: G-20 Traffic Updates

Vehicles that do enter downtown will have to go through one of three checkpoints at the Smithfield Street bridge, Fifth Avenue at Ross Street and the Roberto Clemente bridge.

“We support downtown businesses,” said Lt. Joseph Tersak. “We want to keep things as normal as we can, but we have to provide a route for public safety to rapidly respond.”

A total of 27 roads will be closed during the summit when the transportation safety plan goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 24. It will end on Sept. 25 after authorities have determined dignitaries have left.

The only exception to public transit vehicles will be those providing medical or certain business deliveries, taxi cabs, hotel shuttles and postal and parcel deliveries.

The Pennsylvania State Police, Allegheny County police, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Port Authority of Allegheny County helped develop the plan.

The following is a list of roads that will be used for emergency purposes only:

-- Fort Duquesne Boulevard -- Stanwix Street -- Grant Street -- Second Avenue -- Sixth and Seventh avenue area of Mellon Arena -- And all ramps from interstates to downtown Pittsburgh

PHIPPS CONSERVATORY CLOSURES:

The Secret Service also detailed road closure near Phipps Conservatory for Thursday night's G-20 dinner, which is being hosted by President Barack Obama.

The closures include the following roads:

-- The Boulevard of the Allies -- Panther Hollow Road -- And Schenley Drive.

The roads will close at 9 a.m. Thursday and reopen at midnight.

OTHER CLOSURES:

-- People will still be able to walk and ride bicycles downtown and outside of the Secret Service perimeter around the convention center.

-- The North Shore Riverwalk will be closed from Wednesday to Saturday afternoon from the Alcoa building by the Seventh Street Bridge to the end of the Lincoln at the North Shore properties.

The bike trail past the North Shore properties at the railroad trestle will remain open.

Banks Closing Many Branches For Pittsburgh Summit

Several banks plan to close downtown branches in Pittsburgh during the Group of 20 world economic summit.

Generally, the banks said they're closing because of traffic restrictions and security measures.

Citizens Bank is closing seven branches on those days and PNC Financial Services Group is closing all but two of its downtown branches Wednesday through Friday.

Dollar Bank is closing two branches Wednesday through Friday and operating others on limited hours Wednesday before closing them, too, Thursday and Friday. Northwest Savings Bank is closing its downtown branches Wednesday through Friday as well.

Pittsburgh's Rivers Partly Closed Ahead Of G-20

The Coast Guard will close an approximate five mile, Y-shaped section of Pittsburgh's three rivers during the Group of 20 global economic summit.

Petty Officer Second Class Terrell Sisk said the closure on the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela rivers will begin 6 a.m. Thursday and end 10 p.m. Friday, a few hours after the summit ends.

Pittsburgh's hilly terrain and riverfront downtown presents a unique security situation when nearly two dozen heads of state arrive to discuss the global economic crisis. Thousands of protesters are expected to protest the summit.

Sisk said the Coast Guard will be patrolling with about 10 armed 25-foot boats and a cutter. He said Pittsburgh will patrol with two boats and state police will have at least one boat.