Upgrades coming to the Parkway East "bathtub" to help alleviate flooding concerns

Upgrades are coming to the Parkway East to help alleviate flooding concerns on the "bathtub" section of the highway in Downtown Pittsburgh.

The section of the Parkway East has earned its nickname with repeated flooding of the Monongahela River.

Once the muddy waters of the river top 25 feet, the Parkway East is underwater and it seems to be happening more frequently, so PennDOT says enough is enough.

"We opened bids on that last week," said PennDOT District 11 Executive Jason Zang.

Once PennDOT gets further into the process, the lane restrictions will begin, which could begin by the middle of September, but most likely in October. 

A long-term left lane closure will occur first, so that PennDOT crews can gain access to the bathtub's flood wall. The lane closure is expected to last 11 months.

"And with that the Grant Street on ramp will also close, and then I have it written down the Stanwix Street off ramp will also remain closed," Zang said.

All of this is being done so that the little flood wall can become a larger flood wall.

"At the lowest point, it'll be a 9-foot-high wall," Zang said. "Right now, it's only about I think it's about 4 feet high right now."

Crews will also be replacing all of the pumps and mechanical workings and Zang says sometime probably in June or early July of next year, all of the westbound lanes of the Parkway will be closed for 12 days.

During the 12-day closure, crews will demolish and replace the almost 40-year-old driving surface.

"When we're done, we should not have to go back in there for a long time," Zang said.

When the Parkway is closed, the detour will be fairly easy, exiting traffic at Grant Street, through Downtown Pittsburgh, to the Stanwix Street or Liberty Avenue on-ramps.