HOMESTEAD, Pa. — The first day of the Parkway East closure had drivers adjusting their plans and testing alternate routes, with some already seeing significant delays in and around Homestead.
While traffic remained slow but steady Saturday, many drivers told Channel 11 they’re most concerned about what conditions will look like once the workweek begins.
Anthony Gibson, who lives in Homestead, said avoiding the Parkway East’s detours is not really an option for his family.
“I do have to go all the way into Robinson on certain days,” Gibson said. “I have to get my kids from summer camp.”
Like thousands of other drivers, Gibson has been forced to find a new route.
He said patience will be just as important as planning ahead.
“It took me almost an hour to get home just from Homewood, just back to this way, because of all the detours,” he said.
Channel 11 also drove one of the posted detours on Saturday.
Traveling inbound toward Monroeville using the Squirrel Hill/Homestead exit, it took about 20 minutes to cross the Homestead Grays Bridge.
Traffic was stop-and-go but continued moving.
Not everyone believes the detours were set up as efficiently as they could have been.
“Honestly, it just seems like everywhere else I have to go to get to work that the detours weren’t set up in a good way,” Homestead resident Miranda O’Conner said.
Others had a simpler message for fellow drivers.
“Leave early, that’s all I can say. Leave early if you want to beat the time,” Snoop Hollis said.
For many, the biggest concern is how much worse congestion could become during weekday rush hour.
“I think the most frustrating part is this is a Saturday and it looks like this, and I can only imagine what it will look like on Monday,” one driver said.
Getting between Monroeville and Downtown Pittsburgh, on Saturday, timed at more than 30 minutes using the main detours.
One exception of a slightly faster route is the outbound alternate route using the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Route 28, which takes about 25 minutes.
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