Morning Roundup: Latest Parkway East bridge beam deliveries set; Police arrest Beechview man who skipped assault trial

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 21:

More bridge beam deliveries set for Parkway East

PennDOT warned drivers that bridge beams are expected to be delivered on the Parkway East this week.

The latest round of beams are expected to arrive Wednesday and Thursday on the site of the I-376 Commercial Street Bridge replacement project between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., weather permitting.

Large trucks will travel on southbound I-79, eastbound on the Parkway West and eastbound on the Parkway East. They will then pull in the plaza outside the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.

Westbound I-376 will see multiple 15-minute traffic stoppages near the tunnel’s entrance to allow trucks to cross the lanes into the work area.

Drivers should expect delays, PennDOT said.

Additional beam deliveries will be scheduled for later dates.

The $95 million Commercial Street Bridge replacement project will use accelerated construction techniques to slide a new bridge into the existing I-376 alignment, officials said. Work on the site — situated between the Edgewood/Swissvale exit and the Squirrel Hill Tunnel — started in June 2024.

A 25-day full closure and detour of that stretch of I-376 is expected next year, with the project to be completed in the summer of 2027.

Police arrest Beechview man who skipped assault trial

A Beechview man who had skipped his trial was arrested Monday, according to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.

Daniel Simcox, 34, was charged in September 2024 with aggravated assault, burglary and terroristic threats after police said he confronted an acquaintance of his ex-girlfriend. Officials allege Simcox assaulted the victim, who he slammed to the floor and kicked in the head and ribs repeatedly. He also threatened to kill the victim, officials said.

Simcox did not appear in court for a non-jury trial regarding those charges at the end of July, officials said, and a bench warrant was issued.

Detectives discovered Simcox was staying at a previous address on Broadway Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood. They found Simcox there Monday and took him to the Allegheny County Jail, officials said.

State police offer reward as 2020 homicide case continues

Pennsylvania State Police are offering a $5,000 for information that solves a 2020 homicide.

On Jan. 19, 2020, troopers were sent to Fox Hill Road in Perry Township for reports of a man laying in the roadway in front of a running pickup. The man — later identified as Roger K. Grim Jr., 43 — was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso.

State police said there were multiple spent cartridge casings and a pair of broken eye glasses near Grim’s body, as well as fresh tire marks on the road and debris on his body from a vehicle leaving the scene.

Grim, a Greene County resident, was last seen at the Old Station Bar & Grill in Waynesburg and was seen on video leaving by himself early that morning.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Pennsylvania State Police Waynesburg Station at 724-627-6151 or 1-800-4PA-TIPS or online.

Callers can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest or solves the case.