Watch CBS News

Commuters Deal With New Liberty Tunnel Closures

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Thousands of commuters trying to get into town Thursday morning got a taste of what it's going to be like with the inbound Liberty Tunnel closed.

For the next 15 days, detours and delays will be on the minds of folks coming into town from the South Hills.

"Yeah, it's definitely going to jam up a lot of people. It's definitely backing up," one man said.

Hold on to your tempers, maintain patience and just go with the flow. Road rage is not an option during this temporary period of inconveince.

"There will be significant delays until motorists get used to this closure," Steve Cowan with PennDOT said.

That closure came at 10 p.m. Wednesday. That's when everything changed for thousands of motorists when the inbound Liberty Tunnel closed so that crews could continue work on the concrete arch.

Detours are posted and point drivers in the direction of Route 51 north.

Inbound Posted Detour:

• At the tunnel, take Route 51 (Saw Mill Run Boulevard) north

• Take ramp towards I-376 West/South Route 19 (Carnegie/Airport/West End)

• Bear left to South Route 19 (Banksville Road)

• Bear left to east I-376 (Parkway West)

• Follow I-376 Parkway West eastbound through the Fort Pitt Tunnel

• Bear right onto eastbound I-376 Parkway East

• Take the Parkway East to Grant Street (Exit 71-A)

• From Grant Street, make a right onto Boulevard of the Allies (Route 885)

• Take Boulevard of the Allies east to Liberty Bridge and Tunnels

The inbound Liberty Tunnel is scheduled to reopen at 6 a.m. on Aug. 30.

"The traffic is a lot heavier. We are just going to Green Tree, but this is causing us to be late," one woman said.

If you haven't experienced this yet, here's a little more advice from PennDOT.

"Plan ahead, give yourself plenty of extra time, because it is going to create delays," Cowan said.

Meanwhile, the outbound Liberty Tunnel will continue to be closed overnights from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

RELATED LINKS

More Local News
More Liberty Tunnel News
More Reports From Brenda Waters

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.