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.
The Washington Commanders have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Darius Rush to a reserve/future contract, the team announced.
Rush joined Washington in August after he was released by the Cleveland Browns, and spent the entire season with the team. Now, he will get a chance to showcase what he can do in the offseason and make a roster push.
Rush was also previously with the Kansas City Chiefs, but was waived/injured at the beginning of training camp.
The Steelers released Rush in last October, freeing him up to become a member of the Chiefs. He initially made the active roster, but after a rough preseason, the team went in another direction to locate some help, which they found in James Pierre.
Rush, a 2023 fourth-round pick out of South Carolina by the Indianapolis Colts, was cut by the Colts out of training camp. The Chiefs proceeded to claim Rush off waivers following his release, before the Steelers then signed him weeks later in 2023.
With Pittsburgh, Rush took on the role of dimebacker against the Tennessee Titans a season ago, playing 21 snaps in his NFL regular-season debut. He would win a starting gunner role to start the year in Pittsburgh, but not hold onto it after pressure from Pierre.
A puppy is being cared for by the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh in Homewood after police said his owner zipped him inside a suitcase on Christmas Day.
When you see him, you would never know how his little life got started. The little white dog loves to play and has quickly become a favorite at HARP.
However, nearly two weeks ago, Pittsburgh police said his owner, 56-year-old Jayme White, zipped him inside a suitcase she was carrying on Christmas Day. They said a witness told them she was yelling at the dog and hit it several times before putting it in the bag.
Now White is facing several charges, including animal neglect and public drunkenness.
HARP executive director Dan Cody said animal control brought them the puppy the next morning.
“When the dog arrived, he was in relatively good condition, given the circumstances,” Cody said.
They couldn’t find any signs of physical abuse.
“He was a little bit shy, but he very quickly warmed up,” Cody said.
They believe he’s about two and a half months old now, and expect he’ll be a large breed. Most importantly, they said he’s completely healthy.
“He’s just so energetic and loving,” Cody said.
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office told KDKA that White has surrendered custody of the animal to the rescue, so once he’s neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, he should be up for adoption in the coming days.
“We’ll find a great home for him,” Cody said.
While the circumstances remain unclear, Cody hopes this case serves as a reminder that owning a pet comes with a great responsibility.
“If you do know someone who is struggling or needs help, we are a place where you can come for resources,” Cody said.
White is now out of jail after a judge ruled she get a mental health evaluation. Her preliminary hearing is set for April.
Light rain is expected to arrive in the Pittsburgh area this afternoon with the best chance for rain coming later in the week.
Any Alert Days Ahead? No
Aware: Snow continues to melt, with yesterday’s snow depth measuring 2″ still. Thursday will be a good day for most to ‘clean the yard’.
Snow continues to slowly melt off. Today should be a big day with light rain and warm temperatures helping to bring snow depth totals in Pittsburgh down from yesterday’s 2″ down to an inch or less by Wednesday morning. By Wednesday evening, most of the snow will be off the ground, with exceptions for shaded areas.
If you have dogs, Thursday is going to be the best time to get outside to ‘clean the yard’. Our best chance for rain this week comes Friday through Saturday, with rain and some rumbles expected.
For today, rain chances arrive right at noon and stick around through 7 a.m. on Wednesday. Rain totals will not be very impressive. I am only expecting five hundredths of an inch or less for most places. The best chance for rain will probably occur around 7 p.m this evening through around 10 p.m. A lot of your afternoon will be dry.
When it comes to temperatures, morning lows dipped to the low 30s this morning and highs today should be around 50 degrees. Yesterday’s high of 47 degrees was a good four degrees warmer than what I forecast for our daily high. It felt amazing outside. We will see more ‘mild’ weather this week with highs in the mid-40s on Wednesday behind the rain. Thursday highs should hit the mid-50s. I still have Friday highs near 60 degrees.
Before wrapping things up, I do want to quickly talk about Sunday morning’s weather with rain, snow, & sleet all expected over just a couple of hours. Travel in some spots will be slowed with the rapid drop in temperatures, slick conditions, and windy conditions. At this point, the usual suspects of the Ridges, Laurel Highlands, places north of I-80, and the snowbelt of Armstrong and Indiana counties will be most impacted. We will continue to have more on timing and what to expect for the rest of the week, but at least for now, I wanted to give an early warning about what is heading our way.
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