‘Definitely problematic’: Brookline neighbors concerned about exposed sewer grate

PITTSBURGH — Neighbors who live along Whited Street in Pittsburgh say it’s dangerous and a sewer grate that sits on the stretch has become a big and costly problem for drivers.

If you drive down the busy, windy, seemingly narrow street, you might want to take it slow.

Michael Washington has lived on Whited Street for 12 years. His home is directly across from a sewer grate that juts out of a crumbling curb.

“Just out here, doing my lawn, hear a loud bang, I know what happened,” he said.

Washington said not only is speeding a problem on the 25 mph street, but that he’s seen at least four drivers hit the sharp corner of the sewer grate so far this year.

“When you get two big vehicles, or a big vehicle and SUV try to come together, that spot always right there is where the smaller vehicle tries to avoid but can’t get by the bigger vehicle and go right into it and smash their tire into it,” he said.

Drivers said hitting the grate is an expensive fix.

“It’s definitely problematic,” said Sharon Ciummo, who drives down the road every day.

Ciummo said back in April, she was with her 16-year-old daughter, who was learning how to drive, when the teen ran right into the grate damaging the rims and flattening the back tire.

“Two days after my daughter got her permit, and we were driving down here, giving her some experience on the road, and she happened to catch that corner and all of a sudden you hear all of the air coming out of the tire,” Ciummo said. “She’s a nervous wreck to go past there all the time.”

Andrew McDevitt also fell victim to the sewer grate on Monday.

“It was a very narrow road and there was a car to my left, so I stayed as far to the right curb as possible,” he said. “Then, I heard a very loud sound, so I immediately pulled over to see if I hit a bit of loose gravel or animal, and both of my tires were punctured.”

McDevitt said he filled out a form with the city to see if he can get reimbursed for the damages but hasn’t heard back.

Channel 11 news reporter Antoinette DelBel asked McDevitt what he would tell people who say running into the curb was his fault.

McDevitt said, “I would say that I was following what the curb established as where the road laid.”

Neighbors told Channel 11 the curb has been breaking apart for about five years and has been fixed at least twice but continues to crack.

Whited Street is city-owned but a city spokesperson told Channel 11 the Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA) is in charge of fixing the grate. We’ve reached out to them and are still waiting to hear back.

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