THE COMMERCIAL STREET BRIDGE ALONG THE PARKWAY EAST, AS SEEN FROM FRICK PARK. THE BRIDGE WILL BE DEMOLISHED IN 2026 AND REPLACED BY A NEW BRIDGE BUILT BESIDE IT. | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

And so it begins.

Roadwork starts Monday on an exit ramp off the Parkway East that will set the stage for one of the largest highway construction projects in the Pittsburgh region — the $95 million replacement of the Commercial Street Bridge.

Where is that, you ask? It’s the 861-foot-long bridge that carries 100,000 cars a day in and out of the Squirrel Hill tunnels on the Monroeville side of the Parkway East. It crosses Frick Park near the former Irish Centre building.

And here’s an early warning to start saving up your vacation days to be away during the month of July in 2026. That’s when the parkway will be closed in both directions for 25 days while the current bridge is demolished, debris is removed and a new bridge that’s been built beside it is slid into place. The work will be done by Joseph B. Fay Co., according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Starting Monday, July 22, the inbound Wilkinsburg exit ramp (Exit 78B) to Ardmore Boulevard will be closed through late August as crews lower the ramp. That work is necessary because it will be the main detour route for inbound traffic when the Commercial Street Bridge is closed in 2026. Right now the ramp is too high to allow tall trucks to drive under another overpass in the area. Detours will be posted.

THIS IS A RENDERING OF THE ARCHED DELTA FRAME STRUCTURE THAT WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING COMMERCIAL STREET BRIDGE ON THE PARKWAY EAST. | COURTESY OF PENNDOT

The project will use what PennDOT calls Accelerated Bridge Construction techniques to laterally slide the new bridge onto the existing alignment of the Parkway East. An arched delta frame structure will be built just south of the existing Commercial Street Bridge on temporary foundations and slid slowly into place once the existing bridge is demolished and debris removed.

According to the Pittsburgh Union Progress, motorists and park-goers will see work starting in August under the Commercial Street Bridge area to prepare for future construction. Trees and brush will be removed and the street and trail under the bridge will be temporarily relocated so the substructure that will support the new bridge will be built.

In coming months, according to PennDOT, 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, there will be several overnight full closures and detours of eastbound I-376 and a full weekend closure and detour of I-376 in each direction. 

PennDOT has created an email distribution list for the public 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.