Part of I-279, HOV lanes to close nightly for much of summer during bridge demolition

Part of I-279 and the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes will close nightly for much of this summer.

The I-279 closures are expected to begin June 15 and end in August, according to Allegheny County Public Works.

I-279 northbound will close between the McKnight Road/Evergreen Road exit ramp (Exit 4) and the I-279 North entrance ramp from Camp Horne Road. I-279 southbound will close between the Camp Horne Road exit ramp (Exit 8) and the I-279 South entrance ramp from McKnight Road.

Here are the I-279 closure times for each night:

• 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday-Friday
• 9 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday
• 9 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday

During those times, crews will work to demolish Jacks Run Bridge No. 3, which carries Jacks Run Road over I-279 between Bellevue Road/Bellpark Drive and Kane Lane in Ross Township.

Public Works closed Jacks Run Bridge No. 3 on July 3, 2025, after inspectors found corroded steel on its only pier. An average of 4,631 vehicles used the bridge daily before it closed. A replacement project is scheduled for next year.

Public Works will use these detours during the closures:

• I-279 northbound will be detoured using McKnight Road, Babcock Boulevard, Rochester Road, Lowries Run Road, and Camp Horne Road. I-279 southbound traffic will be detoured using the same route in reverse.
• I-279 southbound traffic to Union Avenue in Ross will be detoured using Camp Horne Road, Lowries Run Road, Rochester Road, Perry Highway, Highland Avenue, and Gass Road. Union Avenue traffic to I-279 northbound will be detoured using the same route in reverse.
• I-279 southbound traffic to Cemetery Lane in Ross will be detoured using Camp Horne Road, Lowries Run Road, Rochester Road, Perry Highway. Cemetery Lane traffic to I-279 northbound will be detoured using the same route in reverse.

When I-279 isn’t closed, there will still be single-lane closures in both directions under the bridge between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. every day. The lane closure will end early at 3 p.m. from Sunday, May 31, through Friday, June 6.

Also, the I-279 northbound on-ramp from Cemetery Lane will close between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. daily from Friday, June 5, until the project ends. Traffic will be detoured using Perry Highway, Rochester Road, Lowries Run Road, and Camp Horne Road.

PennDOT maintains I-279 and the HOV lanes.

According to PennDOT, the HOV lanes will be closed in the outbound (northbound) direction Sunday through Thursday nights between May 31 and June 4.

The HOV lanes will stay closed each night from 7 p.m. until the directional switch in the morning.

They will operate normally during these times:

• Open in the inbound direction from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• Closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Open in the outbound direction from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Public works says an average of 73,367 vehicles use I-279 near Jacks Run Bridge No. 3 every day.

Swank Construction of New Kensington is the primary contractor for the $2.8 million bridge project, which began April 27. The Federal Highway Administration has funded the whole project, while PennDOT is overseeing the funding.

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