Outbound Parkway North HOV lanes set to open after being closed 14 months for maintenance

Tony LaRussa | Friday, May 21, 2021 4:37 a.m.

Tony LaRussa | Tribune-Review

The outbound HOV lanes along the Parkway North are scheduled to reopen on May 21, 2021 after being shut down more than two months for maintenance.

Beginning at 10 a.m. today, motorists will once again be able to use the outbound HOV lanes along the Parkway North after being shut down for more than a year for maintenance, PennDOT announced.

The inbound High Occupancy Vehicle lanes will remain closed, officials said.

“The department is currently evaluating potential options for a full reopening of the HOV lanes,” PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowen said in a news release. “A definitive timeline has not yet been determined.”

The HOV lanes have been closed since March 16, 2020 while crews performed temporary repairs, inspections, vegetation and litter removal and installed barricades.

The HOV lanes are used to reduce congestion along Interstate 279 by requiring at least two people in all vehicles except motorcycles from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Trucks are not permitted to use the lanes.

Motorists can get traffic advisories for the Parkway North by email. To subscribe, send an email to stcowan@pa.gov with the words “Subscribe – Parkway North” in the subject line.