Watch CBS News

City, PennDOT Officials Outline Greenfield Bridge Implosion Timeline

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- City of Pittsburgh and PennDOT officials are explaining their plans to demolish the Greenfield Bridge over the Parkway East later this year.

"We're looking at a timeframe of mid-October with the closure of the bridge," said Pittsburgh Chief Operations Officer Guy Costa. "And with demolition to occur the week between Christmas and New Year's."

That closes the Parkway East in both directions for about a week for the protection of, and the cleanup of the Parkway.

"Basically, you build a dirt cradle over the roadway so you don't damage the highway," said PennDOT District 11 Executive Dan Cessna. "And then, in fact, after the bridge is imploded, again you would bring trucks back and reload all the debris now from the bridge in addition to hauling the dirt back."

"We're looking at a short window," adds Costa. "A five-day window. It has to occur between Christmas and New Year's Eve. That is the least amount of traffic that's on the Parkway East during the course of a year.

Detour and rerouting options are being finalized during the next few weeks.

The new Greenfield Bridge is expected to open by the middle of 2017.

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.