Clare Sliben had to leave for her summer job as a lifeguard almost an hour early Monday morning.
Like many other Oakmont residents, Sliben, 16, has been battling traffic, mainly on Hulton Road, during rush hour each day this week as the 2025 U.S. Open takes place at Oakmont Country Club. Thursday marked the first day of championship competition after three days of practice rounds — and with it came bigger crowds.
Oakmont police Chief Michael Ford said the traffic volume doubled Thursday compared with practice rounds Monday through Wednesday.
“It was extremely heavy today — it’s a championship day, so we’ve had even more people on the roads,” Ford said.
Oakmont, Plum and state police were joined by officers from other police departments stationed at intersections throughout the borough to help keep traffic moving. Ford said the periods of 7 to 10 a.m. and 3:30 to 7 p.m. produce the heaviest traffic.
In addition to extra travelers, some residents have had to forgo their usual routes as the borough had designated restrictions on some roads in an effort to mitigate traffic. With those restrictions, some of the traffic flow was routed to Pennsylvania Avenue from Hulton Road, said Sliben, a lifeguard at Community Swim Club in O’Hara.
“I’m sure it was the best option, but the roads that are available, a lot of people are using them, so even those are backed up sometimes,” Sliben said.
Sliben’s mother, Laurie, commended the borough for ensuring a large police presence to help traffic move at a steady rate.
“The signage has been really good, and … how they’ve been directing the sheer amount of people has been really good,” she said.
Laurie Sliben said she has seen fewer visitors in the borough’s business district.
“People have been saying ‘avoid Oakmont if you can,’ and so nobody’s on the (Allegheny River Boulevard),” she said.
Borough Manager Scot Fodi said anyone heading to the tournament should give themselves extra time if they’re trying to keep a certain schedule.
“If commuting through the area, drivers should really seek out an alternative route and, if they don’t have a choice, know that traffic flow is continuously moving but at a much slower rate than normal,” Fodi said in a text.
