Brace yourselves, Philly drivers: nighttime paving is about to hit the Schuylkill Expressway. PennDOT has dropped the hammer on a 36.8 million dollar facelift for I-76 East, aiming to smooth out nearly five miles of your bumpy commutes. Starting Monday, April 29, through to Friday, May 3, anyone driving between Belmont Avenue and Montgomery Drive interchanges better buckle up for potential gridlock. From 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM each night, lane closures are expected to cause delays, as reported by PennDOT.

City slickers should plan for longer travel times or dodge the whole scene if they can. PennDOT’s advice? Leave early, because you’ll likely be stuck longer than you’d like. And, since Mother Nature has a say in the game, keep in mind all this hassle hinges on the weather playing nice.

It's not just a surface makeover, though: PennDOT's blueprint includes milling and overlaying the expressway pavement from U.S. 1 South (City Avenue) to Interstate 676 (Vine Street Expressway), as per the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Also on the docket are concrete base fixes, shoulders and barriers getting the once-over, and a slew of other improvements like fresh signs, snazzy pavement markings, and rumble strips to jolt you awake.