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Clemente Bridge Closing Tuesday, Will Reopen with New Bike Lanes

AP Photo/Keith Srakocic
The setting sun adds a warm glow to the yellow of the Roberto Clemente Bridge as a cyclist pedals by on the trail on the southern shore of the Allegheny River on Monday, Oct. 28, 2013, in Pittsburgh.

The Roberto Clemente Bridge will be closed starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday and will remain closed until April 10 to allow crews to do repairs and add a new feature.

“We are doing some deck repairs out there, we’re replacing some drainage on the bridge and we’re also installing bike lanes on the bridge that will go across the bridge and tie into the bike lanes that are currently on Penn Avenue,” said Michael Dillon, deputy director of Public Works for Allegheny County.

The bike lanes will be permanent and separated from vehicular traffic by bollards. Work is expected to re-open a few days before the Pirates home opener at PNC Park.

“The new bridge will be restricted down to two lanes after that,” said Dillon, “so it is currently a four-lane bridge, it’ll be a two-lane bridge when done.”

About 7,700 vehicles go across the Roberto Clemente Bridge each day, compared to 5,300 on the 7th Street (Andy Warhol) Bridge and about 11,000 on the 9th Street (Rachel Carson) Bridge. The latter two will see an increase during the closure. The official detour will take motorists over the Andy Warhol Bridge. But the Clemente Bridge will still be accessible to pedestrians during the work.

“It’s going to be very similar to what’s done every time there’s a Pirate’s home game and the bridge is closed,” said Dillon. “Just be patient and watch for slow traffic.”

Editor's note: This report has been updated to clarify its headline.