Portion of Pittsburgh's Parkway East "Bathtub" will close as PennDOT looks to combat flooding
The so-called "bathtub" section of the Parkway East is only 1,150 feet long, but when the Monongahela River floods and the waters come over the walls ... watch out.
"We have seen approximately 19 floods since this existing flood wall was in place since the 1980s," said PennDOT District 11's assistant construction engineer Mike Adams.
Every time that happens, 43,000 drivers are diverted onto detours throughout downtown.
On Thursday night, overnight, the efforts to stop the flooding disruptions will begin as signs go up.
"You'll mostly see single-lane restrictions for those crews installing those signs, but then also installing some overlay signs on some of our overhead sign structures, as well," Adams said.
Beginning on Saturday night, the ramp from Grant Street to the Parkway East and the ramp from the Parkway East to Stanwix Street will be closed for what Adams described as a "long duration."
When those closures begin, drivers will lose one of the three lanes in the "bathtub."
"The left lane by the on-ramp from Grant Street that continues on pretty much to the Fort Pitt Bridge, that will be closed long-term, as well," Adams said.
Long-term means until the end of July 2027. During that time period, the remaining two lanes will both go to the Fort Pitt Bridge, with an exit remaining open to the Fort Duquesne Bridge and all points north. With those closures in place, the project will reinforce the left lane and demolish the existing flood wall.
"Right now, it's approximately 5 feet high throughout most of the stretch," Adams explained. "Ultimately, what they'll be doing is increasing the height to about 10 feet overall."
They also will be upgrading the pump and drainage system to handle any future water in the tub as well as rebuilding the driving surface. All of that requires plenty of room for the contractors to get to work.
"We'll be shutting down the portion of the Mon Wharf parking lot directly close to the Fort Pitt Bridge," Adams said.
David Onorato with the parking authority said that the closure will put them down 250 of the Mon Wharf's 450 parking spaces. That begins on Monday and remains in place for the duration of the project.
