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Dec 12, 2007 6:58 pm US/Eastern
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Oakland Commuters Brace For Construction, Detours
Reporting
Jim Lokay
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Commuters who rely on the Boulevard of the Allies Bridge to get into Oakland are bracing for a major construction project -- and learning how they're going to get around it.
In three weeks, the major link into Oakland will close for nearly an entire year while PennDOT replaces the bridge.
Few places will be affected more than the Pitt campus.
"I think it's going to be a big adjustment for the students, the staff and faculty," commuter Jocelyn Cilik told KDKA.
When the bridge closes on January 3rd, drivers will be rerouted onto either Forbes Avenue or the Parkway East. Over some weekends, though, Forbes will shut down entirely so crews can work to knock the existing bridge down.
PennDOT, however, says there will not be any major roadwork on the Parkway East or Fifth Avenue. They're planning to use Fifth Avnue as a main detour for people trying to get from Oakland to downtown, which is one of the reasons they completed a new ramp onto the Boulevard of the Allies.
Unfortunately, though, officials say not many motorists are using it.
"Folks are finding their way," Mavis Rainey of the Oakland Transportation Management Association told KDKA's Jim Lokay. "We knew that was going to happen. We're hoping today with the information presented in the newsletter and by PennDOT about the access to the slip ramp and how important it is next year, that folks really see how to use it and how it is really going to cut their commuter time."
Meanwhile, Pitt's Assistant Director of Parking Janet Thomas is encouraging students and faculty to consider carpooling to the campus.
"What we've had for a number of years is a wonderful carpool program at the university, and we've partnered with the southwestern PA organization with vanpooling," Thomas added. "We have about 12-15 vans that come into Oakland right now."
To learn more about the Boulevard Of The Allies Bridge Project, including updates, a timeline, virtual pictures and more, click on Oakland Transportation Management Association's website at:
http://www.otma-pgh.org/project_sr885/default.aspx
http://www.otma-pgh.org/project_sr885/default.aspx
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