Drivers heading into downtown Pittsburgh are already seeing backups and delays as work gets underway on one of the region’s most anticipated infrastructure projects.
Construction officially began this month on the I-376 Bathtub Floodwall Reconstruction Project, a $14.34 million effort by the state Department of Transportation designed to reduce repeated flooding in the section of the Parkway East between the Grant Street interchange and the Fort Pitt Bridge.
Known locally as the “Downtown Bathtub,” the stretch of highway sits between the Monongahela River and downtown Pittsburgh and has experienced numerous closures in recent years when rising water overwhelms the area. PennDOT says each flooding event can divert roughly 43,000 vehicles while crews pump out water and clear mud and debris before the roadway can reopen…