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Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing the lifting of the outbound (northbound) 2+ occupant requirement on the I-279 and I-579 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in Ross Township and the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, will begin Wednesday, January 11.

Due to utility work occurring near the Washington Place, Bedford Avenue, Bigelow Boulevard intersection, the HOV 2+ occupant requirement will be lifted in the outbound direction through late February. Motorists will not be required to have at least two passengers when traveling in the outbound direction while this work is occurring.

The inbound (southbound) HOV 2+ occupant requirement will continue to be enforced.

The HOV lanes are used to reduce congestion along Interstate 279 (Parkway North) by promoting ridesharing via carpooling, van pooling, or public transportation. Trucks are not permitted on the HOV.

To help keep motorists informed, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for I-279 Parkway North traffic advisories. Enroll by sending email addresses to stcowan@pa.gov. Please write “Subscribe – Parkway North” in the subject line.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

MEDIA CONTACT: Steve Cowan, 412-429-5010

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