Lokay Lane by Jim Lokay

Weekend Construction Summary

Fri, 08 May 2009 13:09:29 GMT

Ready for a busy weekend on the roads? Parkway West outbound CLOSED from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday This will affect traffic from I-79 to Routes 22/30. Traffic to be detoured onto I-79 northbound to Route 60, then onto Steubenville Pike before rejoining 22/30. Parkway East outbound LANE CLOSURES this weekend during morning hours Crews will be performing utility work. Saturday, May 9: 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.: Right and center lanes closed; single left lane remains open, 9 a.m. to noon: Single right lane closure only; left and center lanes open. Sunday, May 10: 6 a.m. to noon: Single left lane closure only; right and center lanes open Parkway North inbound and outbound LANE CLOSURES this weekend Crews will be patching concrete and paving the roadway Inbound: Single lane closure (one lane open) from 7 p.m. on Friday to 4 p.m. on Sunday; concrete patching will occur. Outbound: Single lane closure (one lane open) from midnight on Friday to 5 p.m. on Saturday; asphalt paving will occur -->-->--> For up-to-date Real Time Traffic this weekend, check out http://www.kdka.com. Also, please share any traffic news/cell phone pictures via Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jimlokay (@jimlokay is my handle.)

Rough Weekend On The Way....

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:46:56 GMT

It's going to be a big mess on the roads this weekend....

The Parkway East inbound will be CLOSED all weekend long, and there will be a lane closure down the road near the Birmingham Bridge on Saturday.

The Parkway West will have some lane closures.

The Parkway North outbound will shift the HOV lanes.

Watch the morning news tomorrow for more details!

Updates!

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:33:14 GMT

By popular demand, here's a status report on some major arteries:

1. PARKWAY EAST - work continues during off-peak hours on rehab work from Churchill to Edgewood/Swissvale, although Churchill section looks to be resurfaced at long last. Work was suspended over the weekend, and I suspect it will be for Labor Day Weekend as well.

2. PARKWAY WEST - crews continue rehabbing Greentree Road overpass. Single lane closures happened during off-peak hours, and work will continue through the fall.

3. PARKWAY NORTH - inbound reconstruction continues. The big shift to the HOV lanes is expected to continue through mid-September. I'll believe it when I see it! However, there's still the issue of the HOV lanes being closed into downtown, starting at Venture Street. PennDOT seems to be content at keeping things status quo, although I'll keep you posted.

4. BOULEVARD OF THE ALLIES - bridge construction continues through November at the earliest. Forbes Avenue restrictions were lifted about a week ago, finally giving drivers an extra lane into Oakland. This change really did alleviate some spillover onto the Parkway East outbound lanes.

What else is vexing you? Let me know!

Big Ramp Closure Alert!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:21:37 GMT

Driving in this morning, I saw the big message board flashing a message I knew was coming -- but not this soon!

On Friday, PennDOT is shutting down the ramp connecting the Boulevard of the Allies to Crosstown Boulevard/I-579 North. Essentially, if you use that exit, if you're not thinking ahead, you'll end up on the Liberty Bridge!

More information is forthcoming, I'm sure, as well as a status update on the Parkway North HOV lanes. Sure, we'd all like to see them opened, but remember, it's only the prelude to a much larger construction project.

And if you were watching the morning show today, Happy Air Quality Action Day!

Parkway North.... How Are You Dealing?

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:12:59 GMT

Last week, we learned that PennDOT's plans to re-open the HOV lanes along the Parkway North hit a significant snag.

While workers were checking out a bridge that carries the lanes near McKnight Road, they realized a crack had developed in one of the beams. Obviously, that's not good. So they'll repair the crack and have the road back open later this month.

I've noticed our travel times have increased about 10-15 minutes during the morning rush because the few thousand that use the HOV lanes have had to stick to the main lanes.

Has it been a big problem for you? And are you fearing the next round of construction, set to start upon the completion of the HOV work?

And Here We Go...

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:35:40 GMT

Tomorrow is the first big rush hour test on the Parkway North. The HOV lanes closed at 9am this morning, relegating the four thousand drivers who use them each weekday to the main lanes. I expect some major delays tomorrow, as people adjust to the change.

The HOV's tend to get a rap as a boondoggle, and at times, I wonder if they have encouraged people to car pool. Through the years, people have used cardboard cutouts, dummies, and even their own unborn children as excuses around the two-occupant minimum. Regardless, we'll likely feel the pain for the first few days. After all, adding four thousand cars into the mix could prove interesting.

Leave early. That's my best advice!

Parkway North Alert

Wed, 21 May 2008 19:13:15 GMT

Correction: The announcement is FRIDAY, not Thursday. My apologies!

We'll be learning tomorrow what PennDOT exactly plans on doing next week, when it shuts down the HOV lanes on the Parkway North. They'll be closed for several weeks as they re-patch and re-pave the lanes, as well as fix the drainage system. If you drive them, you know they're a mess. Unfortunately, that translates into a mess on the Parkway in turn. I'll have the report in our afternoon newscasts.

Uh-oh.

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:43:44 GMT

Get ready. PennDOT announced today that an extensive rehabilitation project on the Parkway North will kick off later this month. Worse yet, they're speaking the words we dread to hear: "motorists should expect significant impacts to traffic." Yay.

The workzone comprises 279 between East Ohio Street and Camp Horne Road. In other words, it's the entire Parkway North. The plans include patching up potholes, fixing guiderails, replacing signs, and rebuilding a baker's dozen worth of bridges. While PennDOT alluded to the likelihood of this when they unveiled the spring work schedule in April, we're now just learning of the total scope of the project.

It's going to happen in three stages. The first step involves a massive overhaul of the HOV lanes. That should start around May 27th. Phase two involves work on the southbound main lanes of the road, and phase three will mean work on the northbound side.

While we don't know if the HOVs will be closed right off the bat, during that first phase, we will see the HOV system closed. Entirely. Kaput. Closed. We'll be on top of that when the details are released.

In the meantime, I appreciate your emails and comments. Please keep me up to date on anything you see that we should take a look at.

A Fresh Coat

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:29:11 GMT

You don't like yellow paint on your car, do you?

Good. Neither do I.

That being said, you'll have to watch out for the paint trucks. PennDOT says it will start repainting lines on many local roads, including the Parkways East and West, I-79, and the Crosstown (I-579.)

The work is slated to happen daily between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Here's what to expect, according to a PennDOT release:

PennDOT urges motorists to exercise caution and patience, and suggests allowing at least 250 feet (13 car lengths) behind line painting equipment to avoid damage. Motorists should avoid passing the paint vehicles unless directed by a paint crew member or flag person to do so. Passing too quickly can cause damage to fresh paint lines and may result in paint on the motorist’s vehicle. Line painting vehicles normally pull over every two and one-half miles or when safety permits. Recent technological advancements on the mix of formulas have produced fast dry paints that are dry to the touch within 2 to 3 minutes. It is crucial to stay off these lines during the curing period.

Motorists who accidentally get paint on their vehicles should immediately wash the paint off with a high-pressure water stream and detergent. Dried paint can be removed with de-natured alcohol and a soft cloth. Generally, PennDOT is not responsible for paint on vehicles.

I have a feeling we'll be running into some paint-related mishaps through the work period, which continues through June.

Weekend Warriors

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:03:13 GMT

Another weekend of roadwork over. Feels like "three down, 154 to go," doesn't it?

Let's review what you had to deal with out there:

Parkway East
The inbound lanes were closed all weekend between Churchill and Edgewood Swissvale. Crews are essentially tearing up parts of the road and rebuilding them in a single weekend. Of course, it just happened to be the weekend of:

Pitt graduation at the Petersen Events Center
Pirates vs. Phillies at PNC Park (with a fireworks night thrown in for good measure.)
Steelers Fan Blitz event at Heinz Field
And something about a little hockey game over at Mellon Arena.

Fortunately, although the plans typically call for the Parkway to be back open by 5am Monday morning, as usual, the work finished by 6:30pm Sunday night. That still doesn't make up for the long delays a lot of you encountered. For what it's worth, these closures (and there will be more on the way) aren't nearly as wide-ranging as last year's. Last time around, they had those bridges closed that lead right into the tunnels, so everyone had to detour around the barrels. This time, with the Edgewood/Swissvale ramps open, people living in the east (Edgewood, Swissvale, Forest Hills, Braddock, Rankin) are able to use some local detours to avoid the mess. However, when you think about it, it still takes a good number of cars off that detour route.

PennDOT hasn't come up with this weekend's plan yet, but when they do, I'll have it on KDKA-TV Morning News.

Route 28
First, PennDOT wanted to do blasting on Route 28 on Saturday morning at 7:55 am.

Then, they moved it to later that afternoon because site preparations weren't complete.

Then, it was rescheduled for Sunday, after the Pens and Pirates games, of course.

Then, it was canceled. They're working on another day to give it a go.

Parkway North/Crosstown Blvd.
Work continued on rebuilding some of those ramps off of the Veterans' Bridge and Bigelow Boulevard. Despite the fact those ramps lead right towards Mellon Arena, it's back open, and few incidents were reported.

As always, tell me what you think by clicking the comment button.