Repairs to Washington Boulevard floodgates may take some time

PITTSBURGH — The goal of the floodgate system on Washington Boulevard is to keep drivers safe during flash flooding.

Two weeks ago, the system failed. The gates were turned off when heavy rain moved in. The road flooded and several people had to be rescued from their cars.

The Pittsburgh Public Works Department is taking steps to repair the system, however, it could be a while before the gates are operational again.

Director Mike Gable told Channel 11’s Aaron Martin, as the system exists right now, the gates will not drop if there’s heavy rain.

He sent a memo to Mayor Bill Peduto’s office detailing the problems with the system. They range from switches flipped in the “off” position to outputs on a gate needing to be replaced.

Gable said much of the system will be running if heavy rain moves in, but the gates still won’t come down.

"I've been told the signals will activate,” Gable said. “So there is at least a warning system for the residents if they are driving down there and they do encounter a bad situation."

Martin asked Mayor Peduto who is responsible.

"All of those inspections and past tests and looking to see if it's working or not, there's never been an agreement that the city is responsible for any of that,” Peduto said.

He hopes that will change. Tuesday, the city sent a letter to PennDOT requesting to take ownership of the system.

Tuesday evening PennDOT issued a statement:

“We haven't received the letter yet, but understanding its contents as described, PennDOT has a shared goal with Mayor Peduto and the City to ensure this roadway is safe for drivers. Regardless of any agreements discussed between the previous city and state administrations, we look forward to continuing to work with the Mayor to get this situation resolved and accomplish this task.”

"It doesn't matter really who currently owns those gates, the gates are there to protect the public,” said Councilwoman Deborah Gross. “The public needs to know that they're working."

The city expects a final report on the cause of the failure and a price tag to repair it later this week.

Cox Media Group