Thursday, February 20, 2025, 10:20PM |  22°
MENU
Advertisement
The flood gate located at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Allegheny River Boulevard.
1
MORE

Floodgate-gate: Neglect of Washington Blvd. system defies logic

Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette

Floodgate-gate: Neglect of Washington Blvd. system defies logic

What was wrong with the warning lights and safety gates that failed to activate during the Aug. 28 flood on Washington Boulevard? Better to ask what wasn’t wrong with them. The problems included dead batteries, a blown surge protector and aging parts, but the most surprising finding in a city report involved the control units that activate the warning lights, lower the gates and operate the sensors that detect rising water on the road.

All 11 control units were found in the “off” position. City and state officials, who are squabbling over responsibility for maintaining the warning system, should find out how that came about and why. Even if all other parts are in perfect condition, with fresh batteries to boot, the system can’t work if it’s been turned off.

The state Department of Transportation had the system installed after an August 2011 flood that killed an elderly woman and a mother and two young children. In May 2012, then-Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s office announced that the $450,000 system was in operation and that it “will be owned and maintained by the city of Pittsburgh.” That sounded straightforward and equitable.  But nobody maintained it.

Advertisement

In the wake of the most recent flooding, during which emergency workers had to rescue the occupants of at least two vehicles, city and state officials have disagreed over whether the transfer of ownership actually took place. The state says it turned over the system to the city. The city says it never formally accepted it. 

The confusion is reprehensible; with the deaths of four people fresh in their minds, city and state officials might have been expected to nail down the niceties. They owe the people of Pittsburgh an apology for leading them to believe they would be secure against future Washington Boulevard flooding, when clearly that was not the case.

With neither party taking responsibility for the system, it is easy to see why batteries and a blown surge protector weren’t replaced. However, inattentiveness does not explain why the control boxes were turned off. Did someone do that? Did a storm “trip” them to the off position? 

City public works director Mike Gable stressed that problems to the system require relatively minor fixes and that there were multiple reasons for the system’s failure last month. Still, he said he hopes additional information from the manufacturer and others familiar with the system will provide answers about the control boxes. 

Advertisement

We hope so. The Washington Boulevard debacle raises larger concerns about local government operations. What else isn’t turned on?

Meet the Editorial Board. 

First Published: September 15, 2016, 4:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Longtime KDKA-TV host Jon Burnett on May 22, 2019.
1
a&e
Jon Burnett, long a KDKA-TV staple, leaves legacy of ‘putting good out into the world’
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro delivers his budget address for the 2025-26 fiscal year  at the Capitol, Feb. 4,  in Harrisburg, Pa.
2
news
Trump taps Shapiro to join bipartisan governor's council
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 6:  U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) speaks to a reporter following a vote to confirm Russell Vought as director of the Office of Management and Budget on February 6, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Senate will continue to vote into the night to proceed to the confirmation of the remaining Trump cabinet nominees. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
3
news
Pair of John Fetterman's staffers reportedly leaving senator's office
Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah helped writers of "The Pitt" with her perspective working in emergency medicine.
4
a&e
'It's very real,' says the Pittsburgh ER doctor who consulted on 'The Pitt' TV show
A photo of Mike Lange (left) and Paul Steigerwald, with an autograph that reads: "Steigy: You're smiling like a butcher's dog"
5
sports
Joe Starkey: Like Myron Cope, Mike Lange did it his way
The flood gate located at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Allegheny River Boulevard.  (Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette)
Pam Panchak/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST opinion
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story