Part of Route 28 Closed This Weekend Between 31st and 40th Street Bridges

Closures are planned for Route 28 and the 31st Street Bridge this weekend, PennDOT District 11 announced.

Part of northbound Route 28  will be closed as crews continue to work on replacing a 60-inch water line between the 31st Street and 40th Street bridges, according to a press release from the district's press officer, James B. Struzzi II.

Once Route 28 reopens Sunday, the 31st Street Bridge will be closed long-term, PennDOT announced.

The northbound Route 28 closure will occur from 8 p.m. Friday to approximately 11 a.m. Sunday. Signs will be posted to guide northbound motorists as follows:

• Turn right onto the 31st Street Bridge.
• Make left onto Penn Avenue.
• Continue north onto Butler Street.
• Make left onto 40th Street Bridge.
• End detour at northbound Route 28.

Southbound Route 28 will remain open, although the express lane that travels under the 40th Street Bridge will be closed, said Struzzi. 

When northbound Route 28 reopens Sunday morning, the 31st Street Bridge at the intersection with Route 28 will close long-term until improvements in this area are completed, Struzzi said.

Crews will be constructing retaining walls for the new interchange with Route 28.

At this time, only the bridge span between Route 28 and River Avenue will be closed. Access to River Avenue from the 31st Street Bridge will remain open from Lawrenceville. Rialto Street will remain closed long-term at Route 28 as well. Local residents are encouraged to find alternate routes. About 6,100 use the 31st Street Bridge on an average day, according to PennDOT.

 31St Street Bridge posted detours:

Northbound

• Continue northbound on Route 28 to Etna interchange.
• Take Exit 5A to the 62nd Street Bridge.
• Make right and cross bridge.
• Turn right onto Butler Street.
• Follow Butler Street back to 40th Street Bridge or 31st Street Bridge.
• End detour.  

Southbound

• Continue southbound and exit at East Ohio Street.
• Make left onto Chestnut Street.
• Continue on Chestnut Street across the 16th Street Bridge.
• Make left onto Liberty Avenue.
• Follow Liberty Avenue back to 31st Street Bridge. 

PennDOT is implementing the long-term 31st Street Bridge closure sooner than anticipated for the retaining wall construction and after considering input received from motorists on Route 28, Struzzi's press release stated.

Once the closure is in place, the traffic signals at the Route 28-31st Street intersection will be turned off and Route 28 will be free-flowing. The 31st Street Bridge may reopen periodically as needed for detour use during northbound Route 28 closures and for emergency access, Struzzi added.

The retaining wall work is included in a $22 million project to prepare Route 28 and relocate railroad tracks as part of the East Ohio Street widening project. The prime contractor for the project is the Brayman Construction Corp. of Saxonburg.

This project includes upgrading drainage, signals, utility and railroad track relocation, bridge pier reconstruction at the 31st Street Bridge, wall and bridge construction and other miscellaneous construction adjacent to Route 28 from Chestnut Street in Pittsburgh to the 40th Street Bridge in the Borough of Millvale. 

The project also includes constructing new ramps at the 31st Street Bridge. The project will be completed in late spring 2012, Struzzi said. 

 The water line relocation is part of the $23.5 million Route 28-East Ohio Street Improvement Project work that includes widening and reconstruction, drainage, concrete barrier, concrete curb and sidewalk, highway lighting, signing and pavement marking, sign structures, signals and ITS (Intelligent Transportation System) installation, wall construction, water line and sewer relocation, demolition, and other construction from the 31st Street Bridge (Route 2122) to the 40th Street Bridge (Route 2124) interchange.

The Trumbull Corp. of Pittsburgh is the prime contractor.