Morning Roundup: Armstrong Tunnel reopens; boy shot in Wilkinsburg

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 29:

Armstrong Tunnel reopens

The Armstrong Tunnel is fully open to drivers for the first time since March 2023.

Crews spent more than two years reconfiguring lanes, repairing deteriorating masonry and modernizing safety systems on the connector between Second and Forbes avenues in Uptown Pittsburgh.

Specifically, work included concrete repairs, adding fireproof wall panels, cleaning the tunnel’s openings, upgrading lighting, electrical and fire safety systems, installing security cameras, and laying down new pavement and sidewalks.

Before this project, the tunnel was last renovated between 1989 and 1991.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and local elected officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday to mark the project’s completion.

“We know that a connected community is a thriving community,” Innamorato said. “This project not only restores a vital piece of infrastructure, it also reflects our commitment to safety, sustainability, and smart investment in the future of Allegheny County.”

In a bid to slow traffic, both sides of the tunnel have gone from two 10-foot-wide lanes to one 12-foot-wide lane, except at their exits. The inbound tunnel splits into two right-turn lanes, and the outbound side becomes a left turn and a straight or right-turn lane.

The outbound tunnel sidewalk also was expanded from just under four feet wide to more than six. The sidewalk is expected to remain closed until September, however, as Duquesne University is using the sidewalk to stage scaffolding for repairs to the Fisher Hall pedestrian bridge.

The Federal Highway Administration covered 80% of the project’s cost, with the rest falling to Allegheny County.

Boy shot in Wilkinsburg

A boy was shot Wednesday night in Wilkinsburg near the borough’s border with Pittsburgh.

Allegheny County dispatch learned of the shooting just after 7 p.m., according to county police. Pittsburgh police found a juvenile male with a gunshot wound to his leg in the 600 block of Haverhill Street in the city, but it was determined the shooting happened in the 1500 block of Center Street in Wilkinsburg.

The victim was transported to a hospital in stable condition.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the county police at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.

Beechwood Boulevard ramp to Parkway East closure

The Beechwood Boulevard on-ramp to the Parkway East outbound is closed from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and will shut down between those hours again Friday.

The closure is related to an ongoing project to replace the Commercial Street Bridge, which is producing single-lane restrictions between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and the Edgewood/Swissvale interchange, also between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. through Friday.

Work to replace the bridge started last year and is expected to last into summer 2027.

PennDOT recommends drivers impacted by the ramp closure take a detour through Forward Avenue, Murray Avenue, Wilkins Avenue, South Dallas Avenue, Penn Avenue and then Ardmore Boulevard. From there, they should enter the ramp onto the Parkway East.