PITTSBURGH, PA — PennDOT on Monday announced more significant road closures in advance of this week's NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.
The draft, which will occur Thursday through Saturday outside of Acrisure Stadium and will have related activities at Point State Park, is expected to attract as many as 600,000 attendees.
It's also anticipated to create traffic gridlock throughout the city, after this most recent announcement of road closures.
The following state roadways and ramps will close to traffic, and drivers will be detoured according to the following schedule:
Monday, April 20 - two hours after the end of the Pittsburgh Penguin’s game:
The I-279 and I-579 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes will close to traffic to accommodate emergency vehicle and bus traffic. All other vehicles will be prohibited. The HOV lanes will reopen to traffic Monday morning, April 27.
Tuesday, April 21 at approximately 8:00 PM:
Southbound Route 65 ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge.
Northbound I-279 (Fort Duquesne Bridge) ramp to northbound Route 65.
10th Street Bypass ramp to the I-279 Portal Bridge.
Eastbound I-376 ramp to Liberty Avenue (Exit 70A).
Liberty Avenue to I-376 (Fort Pitt Bridge).
Allegheny Avenue/Ridge Avenue/Reedsdale Street ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge.
The following detours will be in place:
Southbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp the North Shore (Exit 1B)
No detour route will be provided as all local roadways off the exit are closed to traffic. However, the ramp will reopen to traffic for specific Pirate games listed below.
Northbound I-279 (Upper deck of the Fort Duquesne Bridge) left-hand ramp to the North Shore (Reedsdale Street – Exit 1B)
No detour route will be provided as all local roadways off the exit are closed to traffic.
Southbound Route 65 ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge
From southbound Route 65, continue straight onto the ramp to North 28/North 279/Truck North 19
Merge onto northbound I-279 (Parkway North)
Take the Hazlett Street (Exit 3) off-ramp
Turn left onto East Street
Turn right onto the ramp to southbound I-279 at Venture Street
Follow I-279 southbound back to the Fort Duquesne Bridge
End detour
Northbound I-279 (Fort Duquesne Bridge) to northbound Route 65
From the upper deck of the Fort Duquesne Bridge, continue to North 28/279
From northbound I-279 (Parkway North), take the ramp to North 28 toward Chestnut Street/East Ohio Street/Etna (Exit 1D)
From northbound Route 28, take the left-hand off-ramp to North 279 toward East Ohio Street
At the traffic light, turn left onto East Ohio Street
Turn left onto the ramp to southbound I-279
From southbound I-279 take the ramp to North 65 toward Ohio River Boulevard (Exit 1C)
End detour
10th Street Bypass to the I-279 Portal Bridge
From westbound 10th Street Bypass, turn left onto Fort Duquesne Boulevard
Turn left onto 9th Street
Turn right onto Liberty Avenue
Turn left onto Stanwix Street
Take the ramp to West 376 toward the Fort Pitt Bridge/Airport
End detour
Eastbound I-376 ramp to Liberty Avenue (Exit 70A)
From eastbound I-376, take the ramp to the Boulevard of the Allies/Liberty Bridge/PPG Arena (Exit 70A)
Take the ramp to the Boulevard of the Allies
Turn left onto Stanwix Street
Follow Stanwix Street to Liberty Avenue
End detour
Liberty Avenue to westbound I-376 (Fort Pitt Bridge)
From Liberty Avenue, turn left onto Stanwix Street
Take the ramp to West 376 toward the Fort Pitt Bridge/Airport
End detour
Allegheny Avenue/Ridge Avenue/Reedsdale Street ramp to the Fort Duquesne Bridge
No detour route will be provided as Allegheny Avenue and Reedsdale Street will be closed. Ridge Avenue will remain open. Drivers can access southbound Route 65 at the West End Bridge interchange
Additionally:
The northbound I-279 (Parkway North) ramp to northbound Route 28 (Ramp 1D) will be modified to two lanes of traffic.
Lane restrictions will occur throughout the draft in both directions of the Portal Bridge which spans a portion of Point State Park.
For those visiting Pittsburgh, the section of I-279 (Parkway North) just north of the Fort Duquesne Bridge is occasionally referred to as the North Shore Expressway.
The event is expected to be extremely well attended. PennDOT encourages fans to plan in advance and to take mass transit, which may be the most efficient way to travel between Draft events.
A comprehensive transportation guide including public transportation, parking, road closures, and other travel information for the NFL Draft can be found at NFLDraftPittsburgh.com.
PennDOT also encourages drivers not attending Draft Week events to delay unnecessary travel to Pittsburgh or consider alternate routes around the city. Drivers should allow extra travel time, be patient, and remain calm and courteous.
The road closures are expected to remain for the entire draft.