Commercial Street/Forward Avenue to close for paving operations

PITTSBURGH — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will close Commercial Street/Forward Avenue and the Nine Mile Run Trail in Pittsburgh starting this Friday evening, Oct. 16.

The short-term closure is scheduled from 8 p.m. Friday through 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, weather permitting, to allow crews to perform final paving operations and realign Commercial Street back to its original location.

Commercial Street/Forward Avenue will close to traffic between Whipple Street and Summerset Drive, with detours established for drivers. Nine Mile Run Trail will also close to all bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Nine Mile Run parking lot in Swisshelm Park and the Frick Park Commercial Street parking lot in Squirrel Hill.

The following detours will be in place:

Posted Detour

From Commercial Street on the Swisshelm Park side

From Commercial Street, turn onto Whipple Street
Turn left onto Monongahela Avenue
Turn left onto S Braddock Avenue
Turn left onto Forbes Avenue
Turn left onto Beechwood Boulevard
Continue to Forward Avenue
End detour

From Forward Avenue on the Squirrel Hill side

Same detour in the opposite direction

State transportation officials stated that the work zone must remain completely clear of vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic for public safety. Restrictions may be lifted earlier if operations are completed ahead of schedule.

The work is part of a $95 million project to replace the Commercial Street Bridge. Contractors used Accelerated Bridge Construction Techniques to laterally slide the new bridge into alignment with Interstate 376, also known as Parkway East. The slide was one of the largest lateral bridge slides performed in Pennsylvania.

The project area stretches between the Edgewood/Swissvale interchange at Exit 77 and the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, spanning the boroughs of Edgewood and Swissvale along with the City of Pittsburgh. Construction on the overall project began in June 2024 with the reconstruction of the westbound I-376 off-ramp to Exit 78B for Forest Hills and Wilkinsburg.

The overall bridge replacement project is anticipated to conclude in the summer of 2027.

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