Lane from Highland Park Bridge to Route 28 North closed

The lane from Highland Park Bridge to northbound Route 28 closed Monday morning, part of the yearslong work on interchanges around the bridge.

Construction will keep the lane closed through late June.

PennDOT’s suggested detour calls for exiting the bridge at Aspinwall, taking Freeport Road to Fox Chapel Road and turning left. The entrance to northbound Route 28 is just past the GetGo, on the left.

The second suggested detour involves backtracking: After crossing the bridge, take southbound Route 28 to the first exit (Exit 5), marked Route 8 North toward Butler. At the first stoplight, turn left on Kittanning Street and then make an immediate right onto Crescent. At Grant Avenue, make a sharp right and then another right to Route 8, which leads back to the North 28 ramp.

Another key access lane — for Route 28 traffic to Freeport Road between Aspinwall and Sharpsburg — closed in early March. Work on that section will continue through late May.

The Highland Park Bridge and Route 28 interchange work began in late 2020 and will last through at least September 2023. The project’s main purpose is to reduce bottlenecks by changing one-lane passages to two lanes. Bridge rehabilitation, sound wall construction and drainage improvements are also underway.

Route 356 work to begin

In Allegheny Township, the closure of Route 356 between Route 56 (Leechburg Road) and Route 4073 (White Cloud Road) will begin Monday, April 4. The major project will last through the end of the year.

The work is part of a $15.9 million PennDOT project that began in 2020 to improve the highway and provide a connector to Route 28 near Freeport.

The first phase of the project will start at the Route 356/56 split, commonly known as Weinels Crossroads, where Hickory Street meets 356. Route 356 North will be open to local traffic only in the work area.