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Flooding issues in South Hills first studied more than 70 years ago, never fixed

PITTSBURGH — Heavy rain and flooding on Route 51 in Pittsburgh and the South Hills has happened for decades, but little has been done to solve the issues.

A 2016 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study about flooding in the Saw Mill Run Watershed showed the agency started studying the problems in the area of Route 51 more than 70 years ago.

Betty Booth has been feeling the effects of those problems for quite a long time herself. There isn't much left of her the basement in her home on Provost Road, an area repeated flooding has pretty much destroyed.

“I avoid coming down here as much as possible because it's very painful,” she said. “You can see the water line right there.”

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Provost sits next to Route 51, which has plenty of problems of its own. Ronnie’s Tires is less than two miles down the state road from Booth’s home.

“This time that just went through was probably one of the worst,” said manager Gary Thelm. “We've already been under water three times (this year). Where it's going, I don't know. But it seems to be getting worse."

After this latest round of flooding and damage, 11 Investigates decided to take a closer look at why Route 51 continues to flood.

RELATED STORY: Flood protection project on Route 51 damaged in last week's flooding

We uncovered an Army Corps report from September 2016 examining flooding issues on Route 51 in Pittsburgh and the South hills. It detailed how the Corps has been studying this issue dating back to the 1940s.

But due largely to cost, the only major improvement wasn't completed until eight years ago in the West End, and that was damaged during last week's storm.

“It is the only infrastructure that's in place to help fight flooding,” said Marc Glowczewski of the Army Corps.

City Councilman Anthony Coghill says finding ways to mitigate the constant floods in and around Route 51 is a priority.

"It can't continue," said Coghill, who represents many of the neighborhoods impacted by the flooding. "Whether it takes a year or two years or 10 years, it's got to start now."

He knows it's a problem that won't be solved quickly, and will need to involve all levels of government.

“I'm glad they have done some studies and hopefully we can look back on what they have done,” he said. “What's frustrating is nothing has actually been done about the issue.”

He wants that solution to begin with Provost Road, where he’s proposing buying the nearly two dozen impacted homes and turning the road into a “green highway,” so the water has somewhere to go.

It would require federal help and likely take years to complete.

"We need all resources and every resource we can get to solve this, because it's only a matter of time before somebody loses their life," he said.

It's something Booth is willing to consider, since riding out storms with her daughter, who has special needs, is no longer an option.

“We just pack a bag for her and we put her in the van and we leave,” she said. “That's not right; she would rather stay home and so would we. We're like nomads, we just wander.”

 

Cox Media Group

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