Pittsburgh road closures surge 31% in 2026
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Roadwork on Friendship Avenue in Bloomfield in October. Photo: Ryan Deto/Axios
You aren't crazy: There has been more roadwork in Pittsburgh this year.
Why it matters: Road closures cause massive headaches for locals, disrupting commutes and limiting access to businesses and neighborhoods.
The big picture: Every year it feels like there's more roadwork than ever, but this year within the city of Pittsburgh there actually is.
- Full road closures during the day on weekdays are up 31% from 2025 and 61% from 2024, according to city data analyzed by Axios.
By the numbers: There have been 2,313 such closures this year through Oct. 23.
- There were 1,768 during the same period in 2025, and 1,439 in 2024.
Zoom in: South Side Slopes (135), Sheraden (112), Troy Hill (103) and Bloomfield (101) have been hit particularly hard by closures.
- Marlow Street in the West End has seen the most (26). They started on Aug. 19 and aren't scheduled to end until Dec. 4.
- Penn Avenue had the most of any major thoroughfare, with seven.
Zoom out: It's not just full road closures; parking lane and sidewalk impacts are also high.
- Sidewalk obstructions are up 21% compared with last year.
- Parking lane obstructions are up 10% compared with last year.
The fine print: Axios looked at public data from the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure on full road closures between 5am-8pm on weekdays within the city of Pittsburgh.
- Data from before 2024 lacks details about the daytime road closures, so it wasn't used for a direct comparison.
- Yes, but: This year has the most full road closures regardless of time (2,376) than any of the last six years.
Friction point: Residents and business owners have noticed.
- Kevin Jirachertchoowong, of Thai Cuisine, said business was slower during the weeks crews were working on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield, according to WTAE.
- Creative Chem Co. coffee shop celebrated the end of Friendship Avenue roadwork with a humorous spooky-season Instagram post.
What they're saying: City spokesperson Molly Onufer said an influx of funding from the Biden administration infrastructure plan, Pittsburgh Water's work to replace all residential lead pipes, and gas companies replacing old lines have converged for a busy year.
- "These are important and much-needed investments in our city's aging infrastructure," said Onufer. "Our teams have also been out meeting with residents and business owners to work with them to alleviate the inconvenience as much as possible."
Track recent road closures on this map.
What's next: Roadwork isn't slowing down.
- There are 37 new midday weekday full closures scheduled to start sometime before the end of the year, as well as 283 partial road obstructions.
Sound off: Tell us about how roadwork has impacted you this year. Are you frustrated? Or understanding since it is needed for utility work?
- Email us at [email protected].