A new "gateway" to Oakland will be opened Monday.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has scheduled a ribbon-cutting for 2 p.m. on the new Boulevard of the Allies bridge just south of the city's educational, medical and cultural district.

It's the highlight of the two-year, $29 million project to replace an ugly, deteriorated old bridge crossing Forbes Avenue, and also to provide a direct connection from Fifth Avenue to the Boulevard in the inbound direction and make other improvements.

For motorists, opening the new bridge promises smoother traffic flow on the Boulevard of the Allies, which had been closed for construction since Janunary.

For the Oakland Transportation Management Association and other groups that worked with PennDOT on design, the new bridge represents a long-sought, more attractive entry point to Oakland.

PennDOT Secretary Allen Biehler, of Crafton, is expected to join elected and civic officials for the ceremony. The bridge then is to be opened to the public, tentatively in time to help with Monday's afternoon rush hour.

City officials had been working for years for PennDOT to replace the badly-rusted Boulevard of the Allies bridge, a smaller nearby bridge and worn pavement. The project finally got under way in early 2007 with construction of retaining walls and the new access to the Boulevard of the Allies, thereby eliminating zig-zag traffic movements to Craft Avenue and use of a contra-flow lane on Forbes.

During construction, Forbes leading into Oakland was closed some weekends and restricted to a single lane for a long while, causing delays for motorists and forcing 19 Port Authority bus routes onto a short detour.