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City working with contractor to correct failure of Washington Blvd. floodgates

In the midst of severe flooding, police blocked off Washington Boulevard on Sunday night after the floodgates failed to work.

Two vehicles were submerged along the boulevard. Police officers, firefighters and emergency medical services workers jumped into action to help the occupants of the vehicles to safety. Minutes later, the vehicles were barely visible.

“Storm events like this are nothing new to Pittsburgh. I can't emphasize enough that motorists should never drive through standing or flowing water, and if they do become stuck should remain in their vehicles until help arrives," Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said.

Mary Hiles and her three daughters were driving home from Kennywood when they got caught in the floodwater. A firefighter pulled them to safety.

“I didn't get his name, but I would really like to thank him. It could have been a deadly situation, and he saved our lives,” Hiles said. “The water was up to our doors. It happened so fast.”

In an area known for problems, many people were wondering why the gates did not work properly.

Officials said the city of Pittsburgh is working with a contractor to determine what went wrong so that the issue can be corrected.

“Things have been occurring over the last couple months. You know, a gate didn't drop or a signal didn't go on, so there's little glitches in the system,” Public Works Director Mike Gable said.

Earlier in the summer, a gate at Washington Boulevard’s intersection with Negley Run Boulevard broke when it unexpectedly dropped and a vehicle went through it. Sunday’s malfunction prevented gates at various intersections from deploying either automatically or manually.

The system is made up of 11 separate units -- six signals, three gates and two sensors -- and a computer system that oversees communications. The system has not been fully inspected since its installation in 2011.

“Obviously there have been repeated failures with this system, but we have a plan to address them and to make this system whole,” Gable said.

Officials said fixes could be as simple as replacing backup batteries or removing trees that interfere with telecommunications. However, it could also be that some of the system’s units need to be replaced.

Five years ago, two women and two children died when heavy rain flooded the road. Other drivers had to climb onto their vehicles’ roofs and swim away that day.

Gates were installed by Bronder Technical Services after the deadly flash flooding. The project cost about $450,000.

"The gates aren't the solution. The gates are basically a band aid on a situation that's much more drastic than what a gate can do," Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said.

Cox Media Group

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