PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – PennDOT began work on Route 65 Friday night. The road is closed in both directions and will remain that way for the next four months.

If you travel Route 65, it’s going to test your patience.

Roughly 26,000 vehicles a day use the road to get in and out of Pittsburgh.

In order for PennDOT to work on bridge decks, drivers will have to exit off Route 65 and take detours in both directions for the next four months.

“When I saw the signs, I thought it was a temporary thing. I didn’t realize it was actually going to be all the way until November. I thought it was going to be the weekend or a couple days. I didn’t realize it was going to be several months,” Crystal Kubic said.

PennDOT said delays during rush hour could be 20 to 30 minutes.

“We’re not used to that. That’s a quick five minutes up the highway,” Dave Devine said.

Route 65 is a key road to North Shore attractions such as the Rivers Casino, Carnegie Science Center and Heinz Field.

“I take my wife to work downtown. It’s going be a hectic problem now because it’s bad enough as it is,” Ishamel Johnson said.

Interstate 279 and Route 51 are possible detours, but aren’t convenient.

Drivers on Route 65 should be prepared for delays and tight quarters.

The first big test will come Monday during rush hours and later this month when U2 comes to town.

The $20 million project is scheduled to be completed by November.

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