PennDOT District 11 is announcing the long-term closure of Commercial Street/Forward Avenue and Nine Mile Run Trail in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, will begin Monday, November 17 weather permitting.
Starting at approximately 7:00 AM on Monday, November 17, Commercial Street/Forward Avenue will close to traffic between Whipple Street and Summerset Drive continuously around-the-clock until Friday, January 30, 2026. During this time, the Nine Mile Run Trail will close continuously around-the-clock to all bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Nine Mile Run parking lot on the Swisshelm Park side and the Frick Park Commercial Street Parking lot on the Squirrel Hill side. Motor vehicle traffic will be detoured:
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
Crews continue to construct the new Commercial Street Bridge structure, requiring the transportation of cranes, lifting of beams, and relocating other heavy material over the roadway and trail. For the safety of the public, roadway and trail must be clear of vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic as through the work zone as these operations occur overhead.
The work is part of the $95 million I-376 Commercial Street Bridge Replacement project between the Edgewood/Swissvale (Exit 77) interchange in Swissvale Borough and Squirrel Hill Tunnel in the City of Pittsburgh. This project will utilize Accelerated Bridge Construction Techniques to laterally slide the new bridge onto the existing alignment of I-376. Work will also include the installation of new overhead signage and eastbound retaining wall, lowering the westbound I-376 off-ramp to Forest Hills/Wilkinsburg Interchange (Exit 78B) to increase vertical clearance under the Parkway East, concrete median barrier replacement, sanitary sewer line relocation, upgrades to guide rail, ITS Devices, Over Height Truck Detection System, and CCTV Cameras, as well as overall site restoration for both Frick Park and the Frick Park walking trail. Motorists can expect single-lane and shoulder restrictions in each direction of I-376 on weekends and weeknights as needed through 2026. Additionally, in 2025, several overnight full closures and detours of eastbound I-376 and a full weekend closure and detour of I-376 in each direction are anticipated to occur. In 2026, motorists can expect a 25-day full closure and detour of I-376. The overall project is anticipated to conclude in the summer of 2027. The Joseph B. Fay Company is the prime contractor.
To help keep motorists informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for Parkway East traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by sending email addresses to ymanyisha@pa.gov. Please write “Subscribe – Parkway East” in the subject line.
Updates can also be found on the Commercial Street Bridge webpage, by following PennDOT’s regional X page @511PAPittsburgh or joining the Greater Pittsburgh Area PennDOT Facebook group.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Subscribe to PennDOT news and find transportation results in Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence counties at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict11.