The first full day of Parkway East closures appeared to go smoothly, at least through the Alle-Kiski Valley, where commuters were expected to find alternate routes into Pittsburgh via Route 28.
PennDOT expected a significant number of drivers to use the Pennsylvania Turnpike to bypass construction, getting on in Monroeville and exiting in Harmar to Freeport Road on their way to Route 28. The first morning, though, produced no traffic nightmares.
Harmar police Chief Jason Domaratz said he saw no traffic issues but continues to monitor the Turnpike interchange and the Freeport Road corridor.
“So far, we’ve had no complaints,” Domaratz said. “We kept an eye on it this morning, and everything appeared as normal. There may (have been) a little bit more traffic, but for the most part, everything was flowing smoothly.
“I’m sure different people will take different routes just to see what’s quicker, how traffic flows, things like that,” he said. “But other than that, I don’t see there being a problem. It seems our traffic signals are keeping up and keeping cars moving.”
Domaratz also reported no excessive speeding or traffic hazards coming from drivers once they enter Harmar on their way to Route 28.
The same appeared to be true in Oakmont, where the Hulton Bridge and Allegheny River Boulevard also were expected to be used as alternate routes by commuters looking to avoid the Parkway.
“Today has not been horrible,” Oakmont police Chief Mike Ford said. “I think Oakmont is a third alternate cut-through, but as of now, we have not had any traffic complaints.”
While there were concerns among Oakmont business owners that the detours could cause more traffic backups — especially on Allegheny River Boulevard, Allegheny Avenue and the Hulton Bridge — the first day produced no major traffic snarls.
Several employees at The Lot at Edgewater, The Pub at 333, Anytime Fitness and Hoffstot’s Cafe Monaco, all on Allegheny Avenue, reported no issues or excess traffic in the area, and patrons seemed to be able to get in and out easily.
Meanwhile, PennDOT’s demolition of the 75-year-old Commercial Street Bridge was proceeding as planned Monday, according to spokeswoman Nicole Haney.
Contractors had demolished three of the bridge’s five spans — or the surfaces between its supports — and work was “on schedule,” Haney said.
Once the bridge deck is demolished, workers will detonate hundreds of explosives to bring down the rest of the structure. The new bridge, constructed alongside the old one, will be moved into place. The project is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 3.
Closer to the road closure, traffic at key detour roads, such as Eighth Avenue in Homestead and Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg, was significant during Monday’s evening rush hour, though not at a standstill.
That kind of disruption is to be expected, according to PennDOT District 11 Executive Jason Zang. He believes the initial traffic headaches will be the toughest since drivers are still figuring out how to navigate the closures.
“It usually gets better from there as people decide they don’t want to get stuck in traffic (and) decide on a different route,” he said Monday morning.
Traffic cameras along the detour routes showed steady streams of traffic by 7 a.m. Monday. PennDOT’s online trackers showed traffic slowing in the area, but both major detour routes took about 30 minutes to navigate on average Monday morning, Zang said — just a few minutes longer than they would have taken before the closure.
Zang said PennDOT invested in traffic signals along the detour routes over the past year, and they are “paying dividends so far.” The agency’s Incident Command Center is monitoring the signals and the roadways to look out for accidents and backups.
“We will continue to make changes if we need to, any kind of tweaks,” he said.
On Monday evening, cameras also showed a relatively normal amount of traffic.
PennDOT officials recommend checking PennDOT’s online detour maps and maps listed on 511PA, which offers live travel-time estimates, to plan their routes ahead of time.