The explosive demolition of the I-376 Commercial Street Bridge in Edgewood Borough and the City of Pittsburgh is expected to occur Wednesday, July 15, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) said Tuesday.

The implosion of the current I-376 bridge between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and the Edgewood/Swissvale (Exit) 77 interchange is expected to take place between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday, weather permitting.

The explosive process will only occur after crews and emergency personnel have cleared the blast radius on the ground and in the air and have declared the zone safe for explosion.

Residents in the area may proceed as usual in and around their homes. However, please be advised of a loud sound during the explosion and anticipate additional dust afterwards.

The public can view the explosive demolition from a safe distance via the live feed camera displaying the Commercial Street Bridge on the Commercial Street Bridge webpage or the specialized 511PA webpage at https://www.511pa.com/map/page/CommercialStBridge. The camera will run live through the closure of the bridge.

The Commercial Street Bridge replacement project will utilize Accelerated Bridge Construction Techniques to laterally slide the new bridge onto the existing alignment of I-376 (Parkway East), which will be one of the largest lateral slide projects performed in Pennsylvania.

The $95 million project, located between the Edgewood/Swissvale (Exit 77) interchange and Squirrel Hill Tunnel in Edgewood and Swissvale boroughs, and the City of Pittsburgh began in June of 2024 with the reconstruction of the westbound I-376 off-ramp to Forest Hills/Wilkinsburg (Exit 78B). The overall project is anticipated to conclude in the summer of 2027.

The project has triggered a 25-day closure on I-376 Parkway East in Edgewood Borough and the city of Pittsburgh. The closure began Friday, July 10, and is expected to last through 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 3.

A full closure of the Parkway East in each direction between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and the Edgewood/Swissvale (Exit 77) interchange will occur around-the-clock as crews demolish and replace the bridge.

To help keep travelers informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for Parkway East traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by clicking on the Parkway East online sign-up form link and entering your email address.

For questions about the project and detours, please email the project team at  CommStBridgeProject@pa.gov.

Updates can also be found on the Commercial Street Bridge webpage, by following PennDOT’s regional X page @511PAPittsburgh or joining the Greater Pittsburgh Area PennDOT Facebook group.