Crews demolished the Commercial Street Bridge in a controlled blast Thursday morning, one day behind schedule, keeping I-376 closed through Aug. 3 as a $95 million replacement project moves forward.
The bridge carried I-376 between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and the Edgewood/Swissvale interchange (Exit 77). A portion of the highway east of the tunnel has been closed since July 10, forcing drivers onto detours.
The demolition had been scheduled for Wednesday afternoon but was delayed until 8 a.m. Thursday. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation had said the blast would occur weather permitting, between 1 and 9 p.m.
PennDOT will use accelerated bridge construction techniques to slide the new bridge laterally onto the existing I-376 alignment, which the department said will be one of the largest lateral slide projects performed in Pennsylvania. The project area runs between the Edgewood/Swissvale interchange and the Squirrel Hill Tunnel in Edgewood, Swissvale and the city of Pittsburgh. Work began in June 2024 with reconstruction of the westbound off-ramp to Forest Hills/Wilkinsburg (Exit 78B) and is expected to conclude in summer 2027.