The Parkway East was reopened outbound this afternoon after lane restrictions and backups yesterday prompted warnings to motorists to avoid the major artery completely.

Continuing rehabilitation work on the highway reducing outbound traffic to a single lane had cars and trucks nearly at a standstill yesterday afternoon and into the evening from Grant Street, Downtown, through the Squirrel Hill Tunnels and beyond. The congestion got worse as fans left the University of Pittsburgh football game at Heinz Field last night.

Crews were working between the Bates Street and Monroeville interchanges, where traffic has been reduced to one lane.

PennDOT spokesman Jim Struzzi said lanes are being repaved and patched and that the bridge deck over Saline Street is being repaired.

"Anytime you narrow it at Bates Street, things back up significantly," he said. "We warned people to expect extreme delays this weekend, but people still want to use the parkway."

The work continued overnight until about 1:30 p.m. today when lanes were reopened to accommodate fans heading home after the Steelers-Texans season opener at Heinz Field.