The contractor for the biggest highway project to impact Oakland in years is asking the driving public for two things.

"All I can ask you for is your patience and understanding," said Ray Vitori, superintendent for the contractor, Joseph B. Fay Co.

Mr. Vitori was among several speakers trying to allay public anxiety about the upcoming $29 million Boulevard of the Allies construction, during an informational meeting yesterday at the University of Pittsburgh Alumni Hall.

Restrictions for the 20-month-long project begin at 7 p.m. Monday when one lane of Forbes Avenue will be closed east of the Birmingham Bridge for several blocks. Also, the Boulevard of the Allies will be down to one lane toward the city, just past the Forbes Avenue merge point with the contra-flow lane.

The following Monday, one lane of Fifth Avenue will be closed, requiring the Port Authority to shift its buses-only lane. But the closing will start beyond the Craft Avenue intersection, so drivers who make the ziz-zag turns to go from Fifth Avenue to the boulevard won't be affected.

All three restrictions are related to excavation, utility and drainage requirements that the Fay Co. must complete prior to building retaining walls, curbs, sidewalks and roadbeds.

That's only the start of the major undertaking to fix aging infrastructure, improve traffic flow and create an aesthetic "gateway" to the region's medical, educational and arts center.

Around the end of the year, the new ramp should be finished to provide a direct route from Fifth Avenue to the boulevard to Downtown.

About 100 people learned traffic details during yesterday's session, arranged by the Oakland Transportation Management Association.

Mavis Rainey, executive director of the community partnership, credited the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Fay Co. and consultants with doing all they can to mitigate the expected problems.

"We know all three arterials will be restricted at one time, but only for short distances," she said. "There will be impacts, but we don't see them as being as bad as some people perceive. After one week, people will find their own best way to come to Oakland."

She said keeping at least one lane of traffic open, using off-duty police officers and trying to do as much work as possible during "summer break" at schools will help lessen problems.

Project information is available on the OTMA Web site, www.otma-pgh.org.

The Oakland project will start at the same time PennDOT begins a $3 million rehabilitation of the Birmingham Bridge, which connects South Oakland with the South Side. In addition, weekend rehabilitation work is under way on the Parkway East between Bates Street and the Edgewood-Swissvale interchange.

"We've heard concerns about the Parkway East project, but, I assure you, there will be no conflicts with this project," PennDOT District 11 construction executive Jim Foringer said. "There will be no lane closures outbound on the Boulevard of Allies."

When PennDOT closes the Parkway East outbound over several weekends this summer, the boulevard will be part of the detour.

On the Birmingham Bridge, Mr. Foringer said, "We'll be making adjustments as needed."

The first phase of a $3 million rehabilitation that begins Monday requires closing the southbound side of the bridge and shifting traffic to the northbound side, one lane each way, between the South Side and South Oakland.

The shift means closing the Forbes Avenue off-ramp to Oakland, so traffic will be sent up to Fifth Avenue and Moultrie Street to loop around one block to get to Forbes Avenue outbound.