Washington Boulevard floodgates deemed operational

The once-troubled floodgate system on Washington Boulevard passed technical tests early Wednesday, capping weeks of work by a contractor, Pittsburgh city officials said.

“Let’s just say my confidence level has risen considerably,” said public safety Director Wendell Hissrich. He deemed the $450,000 system operational after the pre-dawn tests.

The automated set-up includes three swinging-arm gates and several caution signals in the area of Washington, Allegheny River and Negley Run boulevards, all meant to keep Highland Park drivers away from high water during heavy rain.

But swing arms failed to drop Aug. 28, when motorists had to be rescued from flash flooding. Initial findings revealed that control switches for the system had been turned to “off.” Reviewers found additional problems such as a faulty radio, deficient controller devices and electrical issues.

“Each gate had a unique problem,” said Mike Gable, the

Pittsburgh public works director. He estimated the equipment hadn’t been thoroughly checked for a few years before the city assumed responsibility last summer for maintenance.

That followed on-again, off-again communications with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which installed the system after a flood there killed four people in August 2011. Mr. Gable estimated the city's costs at $55,000 to assess and repair the technology and to stock parts.

Bronder Technical Services of Prospect handled the project, working “over the last six to eight weeks to make for a successful test” Wednesday, Mr. Hissrich said. The company joined city police, the emergency management office and public works officials for the checks.

“Everything was functional,” Mr. Gable said. “Gates dropped. The lights flashed. The horn sounds.”