Pittsburg, PA
Second 'bathtub' grant won't fix Parkway East flooding before 2026 – Pittsburgh Union Progress
For the second time in a week, the overflowing Monongahela River has closed the area of the Parkway East in Downtown Pittsburgh known as “the bathtub.”
To address the situation, which occurs when water rises high enough to flood the Monongahela Wharf and overwhelms the flood wall, the federal Department of Transportation has awarded two grants this year worth $45.6 million, including $6.7 million this week.
Unfortunately, the extra money won’t result in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation fixing the problem any sooner.
That’s because the project to expand the wall has been in preliminary engineering and won’t move to final design until later this year, said PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan. As a result, it probably won’t be put out for construction bids until summer or fall 2026.
Earlier this week, USDOT announced the second grant for the bathtub area as part of $830 million in grants awarded under the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-saving Transportation Discretionary Grant Program. The PROTECT program was established as part of the Biden administration’s infrastructure effort and set aside more than $50 billion to help local communities deal with problems created and made worse by climate change.
“This investment from the Biden-Harris administration will ensure our infrastructure is built to withstand more frequent and unpredictable extreme weather, which is vitally important for people and businesses that rely on roads and bridges being open to keep our economy moving,” Shailen Bhatt, Federal Highway Administration administrator, said in a news release.
Pennsylvania’s two senators, Democrats Bob Casey and John Fetterman, and local U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, and Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, lauded the grant in their own news release.
“This initiative not only secures the safety and efficiency of one of our key transport routes but also stands as a testament to our commitment to enhancing community resilience against climate impacts, creating jobs and promoting economic growth,” Lee said.
The bathtub area is a low point on the inbound lanes of the Parkway East as it passes through the Downtown area and has been prone to flooding for several decades. PennDOT officials have said the remedy is tricky and complex because just building a higher wall wouldn’t solve the problem and the additional volume of water on the wharf could create enough pressure underneath the highway to cause it to heave.
The bathtub was closed for several days last week by flooding. When the river quit rising, crews pumped water out of the area and hauled away mud and other debris. Heavy rain again this week closed the area Friday morning.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he’s currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.
Scoreboard
Completed Event: Football versus Louisville on September 27, 2025 , Loss , 27, to, 34
Completed Event: Football versus Boston College on October 4, 2025 , Win , 48, to, 7
Completed Event: Football at #25 Florida State on October 11, 2025 , Win , 34, to, 31
Completed Event: Football at Syracuse on October 18, 2025 , Win , 30, to, 13
Completed Event: Football versus NC State on October 25, 2025 , Win , 53, to, 34
Completed Event: Football at Stanford on November 1, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 20
Upcoming Event: Football versus Notre Dame on November 15, 2025 at TBA
Upcoming Event: Football at Georgia Tech on November 22, 2025 at TBA
Upcoming Event: Football versus Miami on November 29, 2025 at TBA
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have of one of the best players in baseball and he is up for the top award for his position.
Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed starting pitcher Paul Skenes earned one of the finalist spots for the National League Cy Young Award.
Dominant on the hill, and now Paul Skenes is officially a Cy Young Finalist. pic.twitter.com/gHYHXptDKT
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) November 4, 2025
Skenes is up against right-handed pitchers in Cristopher Sánchez from the Philadelphia Phillies and Yoshinobu Yamamoto from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Sánchez posted a 13-5 record over 32 starts, a 2.50 ERA over 202.0 innings pitched, 212 strikeouts to 44 walks, a 1.06 WHIP and a .227 opposing batting average.
Yamamoto had a 12-8 record in 30 starts, a 2.49 ERA over 173.2 innings pitched, 201 strikeouts to 59 walks, a 0.99 WHIP and a .183 opposing batting average.
Skenes had just a 10-10 record in 32 starts with the Pirates, but a 1.97 ERA over 187.2 innings pitched, 216 strikeouts to 42 walks, a .199 opposing batting average and a 0.95 WHIP, along with a 10.36 K/9, a 2.01 BB/9 and a 5.14 K/BB.
He ranked amongst the best pitchers in the MLB, with the lowest ERA, tied for the fourth most strikeouts, the fourth lowest WHIP, the sixth lowest batting average and the 10th most innings pitched, plus the fifth best K/BB, seventh best K/9 and ninth best BB/9.
Skenes also ranked highly in the NL, with the lowest WHIP, the fourth lowest batting average, tied for the second most strikeouts and the fourth most innings pitched, as well as the second best K/BB and both the fifth best K/9 and BB/9.
His play made him the starting pitcher for the NL in the All-Star Game, becoming the first pitcher to start consecutive All-Star games in the first two seasons in the MLB.
Skenes also earned accolades for his play, with Baseball Digest naming him their Pitcher of the Year, the MLB Players Association Choice Awards naming him the NL Outstanding Pitcher of the Year and Sporting News naming Skenes to their All-Star team.
This 2025 campaign for Skenes was historic, as he broke numerous records, both in baseball and for the franchise.
He was the first NL pitcher with a sub-2.00 ERA and 200+ strikeouts since right-hander Jacob DeGrom did it with the New York Mets in 2018. He is the first MLB pitcher to finish with a sub-2.00 ERA in a season since right-hander Justin Verlander did so with the Houston Astros in 2022.
Skenes became the first pitcher in MLB history to finish with 200+ strikeouts and a sub-2.00 ERA and still not have a winning record, since ERA became a stat in 1913.
He was the first qualified pitcher to post a sub-2.00 ERA in a season at 23 years or younger, since right-hander Dwight Gooden did so at age 20 with the Mets in 1985.
Skenes also made Pirates history, with his 216 strikeouts the most for a right-handed pitcher in the live-ball era (since 1920). Only Ed Morris, who had 326 strikeouts in 1886 and 298 strikeouts in 1885, the most and second most in a season in franchise history, has more than him.
His 216 strikeouts rank seventh most in a season in franchise history and fifth most in the live-ball era.
Skenes is just one of three Pirates pitchers that led the MLB in ERA, with right-hander John Candelaria last doing so in 1977 and right-hander Cy Blanton doing it first in 1935, according to OptaStats.
The Pirates have only had two Cy Young Award winners in franchise history, with Pirates Hall of Famer Vern Law winning it in 1960, when it was one MLB award, and Doug Drabek winning the NL Cy Young in 1990.
Law had his best season with the Pirates in that 1960 season, with a 20-9 record, NL-high 18 complete games, a 3.08 ERA over 271.2 innings pitched, 120 strikeouts to 40 walks, a 1.13 WHIP and an opposing batting average of .257.
Drabek had a 22-6 record in 33 starts, a 2.76 ERA over 231.1 innings pitched, 131 strikeouts to 56 walks, a .225 opposing batting average and a 1.06 WHIP.
Skenes had a shot at the NL Cy Young last season, but finished third in the voting, with Atlanta Braves left-handed pitcher Chris Sale winning it.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates
North Minneapolis nonprofit increases commitment to free delivered meal boxes
Pitt-Notre Dame Nov. 15 Kickoff Time Announced – Pitt Panthers #H2P
David Krivanek Obituary October 31, 2025 – Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors
Trip Report: Outdoor Alliance Brings Advocates to D.C. to Stand Up for Public Lands and Waters — Outdoor Alliance
Arizona’s Freshman Dwayne Aristode Passes Big Test Against Florida
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Over one month into government shutdown and no end in sight – but predictions run rampant
Two dead as Typhoon Kalmaegi brings massive flooding in central Philippines
Trump Backs Cuomo, Threatens NYC Funds If Mamdani Wins – The Source with Kaitlan Collins – Podcast on CNN Podcasts
Video: The Nationwide Battle Over Electoral Maps
Trump backs ICE raid tactics, says they ‘haven’t gone far enough’
-
Milwaukee, WI7 days agoLongtime anchor Shannon Sims is leaving Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV (Channel 4)
-
News1 week agoWith food stamps set to dry up Nov. 1, SNAP recipients say they fear what’s next
-
Alabama1 week agoHow did former Alabama basketball star Mark Sears do in NBA debut with Milwaukee Bucks?
-
News1 week ago1 dead, 6 injured in shooting at Lincoln University homecoming festivities
-
Austin, TX1 week agoDia De Los Muertos Austin: Parades, Altars & Events
-
Culture1 week agoVideo: Tyler Mitchell Breaks Down Three Photos From His New Book
-
Culture6 days agoVideo: Dissecting Three Stephen King Adaptations
-
Seattle, WA7 days agoFOX 13’s Aaron Levine wins back-to-back Jeopardy! episodes