Most of the highways and ramps that were closed to accommodate motorcades in honor of three slain Pittsburgh police officers have reopened, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced.

The Fort Pitt Bridge ramp to the Parkway East outbound reopened after a 90-minute procession of police cars from across the nation made its way from Heinz Field to Oakland.

Also reopened were ramps to the Fort Duquesne Bridge from Route 65 and the Parkway North.

PennDOT said the ramp from the Birmingham Bridge to Forbes Avenue and Forbes Avenue at the Birmingham Bridge remained closed early this afternoon.

Port Authority spokesman Jim Ritchie said buses in Downtown will operate on normal schedules for the afternoon rush hour. Downtown buses resumed normal routes as of 1:30 p.m. and are not experiencing significant delays, he said.

In Oakland, inbound buses resumed their routes on Fifth Avenue but continued to experience delays. Outbound buses remain on Forbes Avenue and had not returned to the Fifth Avenue bus lane as of 1:30 p.m.

A series of highway and ramp closings started at 10 a.m. today, designed to accommodate throngs of out-of-town officers hoping to attend a public memorial service at 1 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center in Oakland.

The Fort Pitt Bridge ramp to the Parkway East closed at 10, with traffic diverted to the Boulevard of the Allies. Ramps to the Fort Duquesne Bridge from Route 65 and the Parkway North also closed. Traffic quickly backed up on the Fort Pitt Bridge and Allies.

A long procession of police vehicles began making its way from the Heinz Field to the Fort Duquesne Bridge and Parkway East moments later. The line of police cars flowed continuously onto the parkway for more than 90 minutes.

Out-of-town officers were asked to gather at Heinz Field and travel to the memorial service via the Fort Duquesne Bridge, Parkway East and Forbes Avenue. The route is different than the one previously announced by the city for a funeral procession from the City-County Building via the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway to Oakland.

Fifth and Forbes avenues in Oakland were closed while the police vehicles were queued up in three lanes of Fifth and two lanes of Forbes, with the streets to reopen once they were parked.

There will again be a total closure when the funeral processions leave. The police vehicles will fall in behind the original escorts, and will take part in the processions to the cemeteries, Pittsburgh police Lt. Joseph Tersak said.

PennDOT warned motorists traveling near Downtown today to "expect heavy delays and be prepared for changing traffic patterns."

UPMC officials urged those with medical appointments or plans to visit medical facilities in Oakland to plan for street closings and parking difficulties.

"People who travel into and out of Oakland can expect significant delays, especially between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. UPMC urges people to check with their individual UPMC physicians' offices regarding scheduled appointments," it said in a statement yesterday.

Port Authority planned to detour all buses off of Fifth Avenue starting at 9 a.m. The road is scheduled to reopen about 4:30 p.m. Outbound Fifth Avenue routes will use Forbes Avenue, stopping at the same intersections as they would on Fifth Avenue. Inbound Fifth Avenue routes will detour onto Bellefield Avenue, Bayard Street and then Bigelow Boulevard, stopping for passengers at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Bigelow (on the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall side). The route then will cross Fifth Avenue and follow Schenley Drive and Panther Hollow Road before turning onto the Boulevard of the Allies and heading toward Downtown.

Customers in the Soho and Uptown neighborhoods will not have inbound bus service during this time. Customers seeking additional information should call Port Authority Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or the TTY number, 412-231-7007, for the speech hearing impaired.

To assist the thousands of police officers expected to attend the planned services, the authority will permit any police officer, in uniform or displaying a badge, to use bus or light-rail service for free through Saturday.