The Fern Hollow Bridge is slated to close for about a month, beginning Monday, for more construction work.
Forbes Avenue will be closed from South Dallas Avenue to Braddock Avenue for construction associated with the new span, Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Thursday.
The bridge has been open to two lanes of traffic since December, when officials unveiled the new span that had been built less than a year after the prior bridge collapsed.
The upcoming closure — which is scheduled to end on July 7 — will allow crews to complete the remaining bridge work, officials said.
New Kensington-based Swank Construction Company, PennDOT’s contractor on the project, will complete final milling, paving and pavement markings on the bridge during the closure.
Work also will include artistic enhancements to the bridge sidewalk and barrier and the installation of a polyester polymer concrete overlay of the bridge deck, a treatment meant to preserve the longevity of the bridge’s surface to reduce future maintenance and expand the bridge’s lifespan.
A detour will route drivers on South Dallas Avenue, Penn Avenue and South Braddock Avenue during the closure.
Once the work is completed, the bridge will reopen to all four lanes of vehicle traffic, officials said.
Tranquil Trail, which runs under the bridge, also will be reopened, and the cycling track and protected bike lane on Forbes Avenue will be completed. The north sidewalk will open at that time, too.
Officials said crews will install the signalized mid-block pedestrian crossing to the west of the bridge in the fall, once traffic signal poles are fabricated.
DOMI officials will finish planned traffic pattern and safety improvement work along the corridor during the closure.
Several improvements have already been implemented, officials said. South Dallas Avenue became one-way for southbound traffic only between Forbes Avenue and Beechwood Boulevard, and a stop sign on Beechwood Boulevard eastbound was added at South Dallas Avenue to simplify the intersection for southbound Dallas Avenue traffic.
Additional changes, which DOMI officials expect to complete during the upcoming closure, include:
The intersection of Beechwood Boulevard and Beacon Street will see a new stop sign on westbound Beechwood Boulevard, making the intersection an all-way stop. Concrete jersey barriers will be installed along Forbes Avenue to protect the new two-way cycle track. A reduced speed limit on Forbes Avenue from South Dallas Avenue to Braddock Avenue will make the speed limit there consistent with other portions of the Forbes Avenue corridor. A pedestrian walking space on north Beechwood Boulevard will connect to the end of the existing Beechwood Boulevard sidewalk. A speed table will be installed on Beechwood Boulevard in an effort to slow traffic.Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)