Here are the state road closures & detours for the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — Several state-owned roads in Pittsburgh will close as thousands of people descend on the city for the 2026 NFL Draft.

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PennDOT announced its closures on Friday, adding to a multi-phase list of closures in the North Shore. Those closures are expected to last into May.

Here’s the schedule of PennDOT road and ramp closures:

Monday, April 13 at approximately 8:00 PM:

• Southbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp to the North Shore (Exit 1B).

Monday, April 20 at approximately 8:00 PM:

• Northbound I-279 (Upper deck of the Fort Duquesne Bridge) left-hand ramp to the North Shore (Reedsdale Street – Exit 1B).

Monday, April 20 at approximately 10:00 PM:

• The I-279 and I-579 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes will close to traffic to accommodate emergency vehicle and bus traffic. All other vehicles will be prohibited. The HOV lanes will reopen to traffic Monday morning, April 27.

Wednesday, April 22 at approximately 8:00 PM:

• Southbound Route 65 ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge.
• Northbound I-279 (Fort Duquesne Bridge) ramp to northbound Route 65.
• 10th Street Bypass ramp to the I-279 Portal Bridge.
• Eastbound I-376 ramp to Liberty Avenue (Exit 70A).
• Liberty Avenue to I-376 (Fort Pitt Bridge).
• Allegheny Avenue/Ridge Avenue/Reedsdale Street ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge.

These detours will also be in place:

Southbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp the North Shore (Exit 1B)

• No detour route will be provided as all local roadways off the exit are closed to traffic. However, the ramp will reopen to traffic for specific Pirate games listed below.

Northbound I-279 (Upper deck of the Fort Duquesne Bridge) left-hand ramp to the North Shore (Reedsdale Street – Exit 1B)

• No detour route will be provided as all local roadways off the exit are closed to traffic.

Southbound Route 65 ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge

• From southbound Route 65, continue straight onto the ramp to North 28/North 279/Truck North 19
• Merge onto northbound I-279 (Parkway North)
• Take the Hazlett Street (Exit 3) off-ramp
• Turn left onto East Street
• Turn right onto the ramp to southbound I-279 at Venture Street
• Follow I-279 southbound back to the Fort Duquesne Bridge
• End detour

Northbound I-279 (Fort Duquesne Bridge) to northbound Route 65

• From the upper deck of the Fort Duquesne Bridge, continue to North 28/279
• From northbound I-279 (Parkway North), take the ramp to North 28 toward Chestnut Street/East Ohio Street/Etna (Exit 1D)
• From northbound Route 28, take the left-hand off-ramp to North 279 toward East Ohio Street
• At the traffic light, turn left onto East Ohio Street
• Turn left onto the ramp to southbound I-279
• From southbound I-279 take the ramp to North 65 toward Ohio River Boulevard (Exit 1C)
• End detour

10th Street Bypass to the I-279 Portal Bridge

• From westbound 10th Street Bypass, turn left onto Fort Duquesne Boulevard
• Turn left onto 9th Street
• Turn right onto Liberty Avenue
• Turn left onto Stanwix Street
• Take the ramp to West 376 toward the Fort Pitt Bridge/Airport
• End detour

Eastbound I-376 ramp to Liberty Avenue (Exit 70A)

• From eastbound I-376, take the ramp to the Boulevard of the Allies/Liberty Bridge/PPG Arena (Exit 70A)
• Take the ramp to the Boulevard of the Allies
• Turn left onto Stanwix Street
• Follow Stanwix Street to Liberty Avenue
• End detour

Liberty Avenue to westbound I-376 (Fort Pitt Bridge)

• From Liberty Avenue, turn left onto Stanwix Street
• Take the ramp to West 376 toward the Fort Pitt Bridge/Airport
• End detour

Allegheny Avenue/Ridge Avenue/Reedsdale Street ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge

• No detour route will be provided as Allegheny Avenue and Reedsdale Street will be closed. Ridge Avenue will remain open. Drivers can access southbound Route 65 at the West End Bridge interchange.

Other things to know:

• To accommodate Pittsburgh Pirates traffic, the southbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp to the North Shore (Exit 1B) will reopen and close each day from Friday through Sunday, April 17-19. The ramp will reopen to traffic accessing Red Garage 5 and Champions Garage approximately five hours before the first pitch and will then reclose one-half hour after the first pitch of each game.
• Line striping work is currently scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 18 on the northbound (upper deck) Fort Duquesne Bridge. The bridge will be reduced to two lanes of traffic during the work and the new two-lane traffic configuration will be implemented on Wednesday, April 22.
• The I-376 Fort Pitt Bridge sidewalk will close to pedestrian traffic on Wednesday, April 22.
• The northbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp to northbound Route 28 (Ramp 1D) will be modified to two lanes of traffic.
• Lane restrictions will occur throughout the draft in both directions of the Portal Bridge which spans a portion of Point State Park.
• For those visiting Pittsburgh, the section of I-279 (Parkway North) just north of the Fort Duquesne Bridge is occasionally referred to as the North Shore Expressway.

PennDOT urges football fans to plan ahead and use public transit between draft events. People not attending draft events are encouraged to delay unnecessary travel, consider alternate routes and allow extra travel time.

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