Here's a word to the wise to those thinking of taking the Parkway East from Downtown today:

Don't.

Some of those who tried to take the Parkway East yesterday afternoon found outbound traffic backed up to the 10th Street Bridge.

There may also be congestion on the Parkway West and the Crosstown Boulevard.

Parkway East work is scheduled until 5 a.m. tomorrow on the outbound side only, with a single lane restriction starting at the Downtown side of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and extending to the Monroeville interchange (Exit 10B). The outbound "climbing lane" between Edgewood-Swissvale and Forest Hills is closed.

At some points over the weekend, the outbound exit ramp to Route 30/Ardmore Boulevard and the outbound exit ramp to Route 8 at the Wilkinsburg interchange will be closed, but both ramps won't be closed at the same time.

Of yesterday's backup, PennDOT spokesman Jim Sruzzi, said. "That's why we tried to warn people. They were doing a significant amount of work this weekend."

He recommended motorists "strongly consider another way."

Parkway West motorists also face traffic disruptions during the periods in which traffic is reduced to a single lane in both directions near the Route 121 (Greentree Road) interchange (Exit 4A) and when the outbound Parkway West off-ramp to Greentree Road is closed.

The schedule calls for the inbound left lane and the Greentree off-ramp to be closed from 7 last night to 11:30 a.m. today and from 5 p.m. today to 6 a.m. tomorrow .

The outbound left lane closures, which began at midnight, are in effect from midnight Saturday to 3 p.m. today and from 6 p.m. today to 6 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. Sruzzi compared yesterday's traffic on Parkway West to a typical rush hour; at its worst, traffic was backed up from the Greentree Road interchange to Banksville Road on the outbound and nearly to Carnegie on the inbound.

Construction also is taking place on Crosstown Boulevard/I-579 from the Veterans Memorial Bridge to the Liberty Bridge until 5 a.m. tomorrow. Traffic will be limited to a single lane southbound.

The same restriction on the Crosstown Boulevard will be in effect from 8 p.m. tomorrow through 5 a.m. Tuesday