After a series of traffic accidents, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has closed the southbound crossover on Interstate 79 in Pittsburgh’s North Hills in less than three days.
As a result, southbound traffic has been reduced to one lane starting from the area between Interstate 279 and the Red Mud Hollow Road overpass on the north end and the Neville Island Bridge on the south end. That one-lane route had severe traffic congestion Tuesday morning while PennDOT officials discussed ways to improve safety at the closed crossover point.
Crews for Joseph B. Fay Co. had created the crossover Saturday for one lane to allow traffic to travel south on the northbound side of the highway at Red Mud Hollow. The idea was for the remaining southbound lane to be for local traffic that wanted to exit at Mt. Nebo Road or Route 65 (Ohio River Boulevard) while the crossover lane served as an express lane for motorists who didn’t want to exit.
However, after accidents near the crossover Monday morning and Monday evening, the department closed the crossover and shifted all traffic to the remaining southbound lane.
PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said officials were meeting Tuesday morning to decide whether changes can be made to reopen the crossover lane safely.
Crews created the crossover as part of a $26.5 million project to rehabilitate four bridges between Sewickley and I-279, repave the road surface and replace guide rails and signs.
The plan was to work on the southbound side of the closed bridges through November, then switch the crossover to have one northbound lane of traffic on the southbound side to work on the other lane of the bridges.
Creating crossovers to put an opposing lane of traffic on one side of a divided highway is a tactic PennDOT has used several times in recent years to create space for construction while maintaining traffic, particularly in the North Hills. Last year, the department had a traffic crossover on I-79 near the Neville Island Bridge just south of the current area as part of a rehabilitation project on the bridge and previously had opposing traffic on the HOV lane during a reconstruction project on I-279 in Pittsburgh’s North Side and Ross.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.