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.
With America celebrating its 250th birthday this summer, a major landmark in Pittsburgh will celebrate its 100th birthday.
Allegheny County announced a 100th Birthday Bash for the Andy Warhol Bridge on Saturday, June 27, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato made the event official on Friday morning and said it will feature art, music, games, and more.
“Allegheny County’s history is filled with innovation and creativity, beautiful architecture, and talented homegrown artists, and the Andy Warhol Bridge encapsulates all of that in one iconic structure,” said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato. “I hope everyone will come down for a fun day of art, community, and a shared celebration of our history on June 27.”
Part of the celebration will be art projects hosted and led by the Andy Warhol Museum and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Local artist Strawberry Luna will also create a special, commemorative poster celebrating the bridge’s history.
The Andy Warhol Bridge is the only bridge in the country to be named for a visual artist, according to Allegheny County.
“As our nation commemorates the U.S. Semiquincentennial, it is fitting that we recognize the oldest of the three Sister Bridges, which represent Pittsburgh’s tradition of innovation, ingenuity, and ‘we can do it’ spirit,” said Andy Masich, president and CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center. “These iconic bridges, painted in ‘Aztec Gold’ as an homage to the city’s official colors, are symbols of Pittsburgh’s vibrancy, culture, and most importantly, its people.”
Formerly known as the Seventh Street Bridge, it was renamed the Andy Warhol Bridge in 2005 to honor the famous artist as well as the 10th anniversary of the Andy Warhol Museum, which is two blocks away.
A man was critically injured after being assaulted by a group of people in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood on Thursday evening, authorities said.
Pittsburgh Public Safety said officers were called to South St. Clair and Eva streets around 5 p.m. for reports of a man who was assaulted by a group of people. The assault happened next to a Whole Foods store.
At the scene, which bordered a park with a playground, first responders found a man who was unconscious and not breathing. Officers and medics performed CPR on the man until he was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. The exact nature of his injuries was not released.
Pittsburgh Public Safety said “several males of unknown age” were detained and transported to police headquarters for questioning. It was not immediately known if any of them would be charged.
A KDKA-TV crew observed a second police scene nearby on Centre Avenue next to The Fresh Market, which was previously a Whole Foods. At that scene, KDKA-TV observed what appeared to be at least one teenager being taken into a police car. A witness told KDKA-TV they saw police questioning nearly 10 people, ranging from grade schoolers to teenagers.
Pittsburgh Public Safety did not say what led up to the assault.
“Those kids, whoever they were, need to be reprimanded for that, because that was horrible, horrible,” said Asia Wilter, who was nearby on Thursday evening.
Over the weekend, another man was assaulted outside a 7-Eleven store on Penn Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh. Police say the assault started inside the 7-Eleven after the victim mentioned to an employee that he believed a group of teenage males was shoplifting.
Pittsburgh police say the victim scraped his elbow and had a small abrasion on his face. He refused to be transported to the hospital, but police say he went on his own to get checked out. Police are searching for the teens.
Earlier this month, six teenage girls were charged after authorities said they chased a woman into a Sephora store in East Liberty and beat her. Sephora’s loss prevention officer estimated the teens caused approximately $30,000 in damage.
Pittsburg, PA
Bystander helps students involved in school bus crash in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood
Just before 8 a.m. on Thursday morning, a school bus rammed into a tree in Highland Park.
The students on the bus were being transported to Schiller STEAM Academy when the driver began to swerve, ultimately running off the road and colliding with the tree on Bryant Street.
According to EMS, about 10 students were on the bus, and they were evaluated on the scene. Medics on the scene determined the students had not been injured in the crash.
A woman who lived nearby heard the crash and immediately jumped into action to help the students.
“Utmost importance was the kids’ safety,” said Vinnie Branch, the bystander. “I just wanted to make sure they were safe, and I just went into mom mode to protect them.”
“I think it looks a lot worse than it turned out to be,” said Brian Haravan, Pittsburgh EMS District Chief. “Thankfully, the utility pole wasn’t damaged, so while the school bus and property were, everyone else seemed ok.”
The driver of the bus was taken to the hospital for evaluation, and the cause of the crash is under investigation.
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