Allegheny Tunnel work to cause restrictions on turnpike
Motorists traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike between the Somerset and Bedford exits beginning Monday night and nearly every other weeknight for the next four weeks will experience delays through the Allegheny Tunnel, the turnpike commission said.
The traffic will be impacted Monday nights through Thursday nights with single-lane traffic patterns from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on both eastbound and westbound lanes through the tunnel. The restrictions are necessary to allow crews to perform annual routine maintenance, the commission said.
For the first two weeks, beginning Monday night, the westbound tube will be closed and one-lane of traffic in each direction will flow through the eastbound tube from Monday to Thursday, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The reverse will occur the following two weeks, until the morning of Aug. 25.
Traffic will flow normally through both tunnel tubes from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on those work days, and no work will be done on Fridays or the weekends.
Drivers are asked to turn on headlights, remain in their lane, follow posted speed limits and keep an adequate distance from the vehicle ahead.
The work schedules may change because of the weather conditions, the turnpike commission said. Message boards will update motorists of any changes to the schedule caused by inclement weather or unforeseen traffic conditions.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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