PITTSBURGH -- Commuters from Uptown and Oakland to the South Side are smiling now that the Birmingham Bridge has fully reopened.

PennDOT says 20,000 drivers cross the bridge every day, and most of them have been sitting in traffic every day since February.

Not only is the bridge now fully open, crews got the work done a little early -- at 9:30 a.m. instead of the planned 10 a.m. start on Monday.

The bridge had been shut down since February, when a pier underneath shifted and the bridge floor dropped a couple of inches.
Slideshow: Deck Drop Closes Birmingham Bridge

The southbound side was able to open in March, but with only two lanes -- one in each direction.

During the closure, every morning rush saw traffic stretched all the way across the bridge, from Uptown to the South Side. The news those delays may be a thing of the past is good news for many commuters.

"It's going to be great getting to work a lot earlier now," one commuter told Channel 4 Action News.

"We're looking forward to it. Hopefully, it'll clear up this congestion," another commuter said.

Dan Cessna with PennDOT recognizes there may still be some backups, as commuters get used to the new traffic pattern.

"We think there's going to be a lot of relieved motorists when, in fact, all the traffic restrictions are removed here today," Cessna said.

The bridge might be open to traffic, but repair work still isn't complete. Crews still have to replace the pier that broke. That work is expected to take until January, but commuters likely won't notice, since all six lanes will remain open to traffic.

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