NFL draft construction is underway in Point State Park, closing off a portion of the park as crews start setting up for what will be a major part of the “NFL Draft Experience.”

Fences are beginning to surround the park lawns. The portion of the trails along the Monongahela River near the Fort Pitt Museum is completely closed off, with access to the museum and Fort Pitt Block House open.

The southbound side of Commonwealth Place is also closed to allow for a staging area, leading to traffic, at times, around the Wyndham Hotel.

A walk through the park on Saturday meant dodging forklifts that were bringing materials around. Meanwhile, people continued to enjoy a nice day at the park, having picnics, resting, or just looking at the rivers.

KDKA-TV’s crew even found one man, Conrad Lloyd, hanging out in a tree.

“Most times I come here when it’s not icy or snowy because I feel like it’s a nice way to feel like a child again,” Lloyd said.

From his perch, he had a view of all the construction. KDKA-TV watched as parents kept their kids away from a platform.

“I just hope they are practicing the best they can with safety because I think there are a lot of crazies downtown who wouldn’t be afraid to steal a forklift,” Lloyd said.

Safety was also on the minds of the crews. They told KDKA-TV it’s the reason the main lawn would be closed starting Sunday as construction intensifies. A Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources spokesperson confirmed there would be additional closures on Sunday, but did not specify exactly where.

“I did not know that, and that is not the best,” Lloyd said. “It’ll be annoying, I guess, at the very least. I will be treeless for a few weeks.”

“It’s a bummer, but we’ll just wait it out, get back here once it’s open again,” River Samek, who was enjoying the park with his family, said.

A map on the NFL OnePass shows that access will remain open in some capacity to the fountain at the point in some capacity.

The map, however, did show that there would not be easy access to the Fort Duquesne pedestrian bridge, forcing people to walk to the Roberto Clemente Bridge if they want to cross from one part of the NFL draft footprint to the other.

The Gateway Clipper will also run across the Allegheny River, but a source familiar with the city’s planning told KDKA-TV it won’t be running for the entirety of the draft.

Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor was asked about draft construction in the morning. Roads are being reconstructed, and fencing and signs are going up, he said.

“We’re using weekends to do a lot of it because there’s not as much traffic downtown as there would be during the week,” O’Connor said.

KDKA — The four astronauts on Artemis II went farther into space than any human has before, and one person from southwestern Pennsylvania can say they took part in the historic mission.

Gary Jordan spent his teenage years in Cranberry Township, growing up loving Star Wars, and while those interests wouldn’t take him to space, they took him to the closest place he could get.

His highlight was a little more than a week ago as Artemis II blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending three Americans and one Canadian on a record-breaking 252,000 miles from Earth.

On the live broadcast, NASA commentator Derrol Nail started with the countdown to liftoff. About 30 seconds later, you could hear a different voice, that of Jordan.

“Houston now controlling the flight of Integrity on the Artemis II mission around the moon,” Jordan said on the broadcast.

Jordan was speaking from mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where he’s the manager of communications and public affairs.

For three more hours or so, Jordan was the sole voice who translated for the public the conversations between the astronauts and the CapCom, the person speaking to the crew, helping us all to understand what was happening.

“I was taking deep breaths, you know? I was trying to get really into a focused mode,” Jordan told KDKA.

The Seneca Valley High School graduate said that after a year of special training preparing for contingencies, it became real at the 10-minute mark before the launch, his heart racing, but he tried to put himself into one of those simulations to separate himself from the gravity of the moment.

And about one minute into the flight, he took it all in.

“I kind of looked up and saw the engines firing. I saw the plume of smoke. I saw the roar of the engines, and for just a moment, I kind of pulled myself out from that level of focus … and just (sat) in awe of what was happening. People were traveling, people were about to go to the moon, and we were a part of it, and we were making it happen,” Jordan said.

It’s a memory he’ll never forget.

“It’s definitely an honor. It’s definitely humbling,” Jordan said.

It’s one he will take with him as he sets his eyes on 2028, when the U.S. plans to send astronauts back to the surface of the moon.

“I would love to stick around and do anything I can to push us towards getting there and do it what I think is the best way possible, share with as many people as possible,” Jordan said.

The NFL draft is just two weeks away from coming to Pittsburgh, and with each passing day, more road closures in the city go into place. 

Time is ticking, and work is progressing to make sure the footprint of the draft is good to go, because the city is expected to host hundreds of thousands of people. 

However, looking ahead to next week, it may be difficult to get around town because the next round of road closures will go into place. 

What roads are closed? 

As of Friday morning, Art Rooney Avenue, West General Robinson Street, and Scotland Avenue are closed. 

Beginning on Monday, more will be added to the list as part of phase two of the closure plan. 

The following roads will close:

• Casino Drive from Sproat Way
• North Shore Drive to Chuck Noll Way
• Reedsdale Street to Tony Dorsett Drive
• Chuck Noll Way and Tony Dorsett Drive

Those closures will be in place until April 21. 

If you are planning to drive in that area, there will be clearly marked detour signs to help navigate around the closure and get to your destination. 

Will local businesses be closed on the North Shore?

There will be limitations and closures around some local businesses on the North Shore due to the road closures. 

“We worked really hard to make sure all of the businesses from the casino to businesses on North Shore Drive and PNC Park are all still readily available,” said Jared Bachar, President & CEO of Visit Pittsburgh.

First, the Kamin Science Center will be on partial operation beginning on Monday when the roads close. Acrisure Stadium itself will have limited availability, and Stage AE will be off-limits completely. 

Residents, businesses prepare for NFL draft impact

While there is frustration over closures that will redirect so much traffic, they are necessary. It’s also causing North Side residents to have to adapt. 

“I’m going to do my best not to go out of the house,” said Jackie Fields. “I’ve been going the opposite direction and figuring out which way I have to go now.” 

For the crews working near the stadium, this is the next step in making sure the entire area is ready for the big event. 

“This next phase of road closures helps us get prepared for all of those activities; there’s a lot of build-out of infrastructure, new structures being built, new draft amenities in and around that site,” Bachar said.  

Looking beyond phase two, there are six total phases of road closures that’ll happen from now until the draft.