PITTSBURGH -- The Port Authority will once again block off Stanwix Street downtown to allow the North Shore Connector Project to reach its next phase.

To prepare for the arrival of the tunnel boring machine, Stanwix Street will be blocked off between Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Penn Avenue beginning at 6 a.m. today.

At this time, crews working to prepare the tunnel boring machine’s receiving pit will remove the temporary decking above the area. The roadway will be closed between Monday and Thursday afternoon. Crews will reinstall the temporary decking and reopen Stanwix Street in time for the Fourth of July holiday. The decking will be removed again the morning of Saturday, July 5, closing the roadway four to five weeks as crews continue to prepare for repositioning of the machine after it arrives in the pit.

The 625 Stanwix Tower & Parking Garage will remain accessible from Fort Duquesne Boulevard. Stanwix Street between Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Penn Avenue is scheduled to be reopened mid-August. Motorists traveling in the area may use Penn Avenue, Sixth Avenue, Liberty Avenue and Commonwealth Place as alternate routes.