Pittsburgh City Council approves $2M project aimed at preventing landslides on Mt. Washington
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Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a $2 million project aimed at preventing landslides on Mt. Washington.
Known for its panoramic views of the city, Mt. Washington has seen multiple landslides in recent years, forcing the city to invest in remediation efforts and repair roadways damaged by the slides.
In an effort to protect the area from future slides, City Council moved ahead with plans to provide up to $2 million for a landslide mitigation project. Green Tree-based Gannett Fleming Inc., which has designed over 25 landslide stabilization projects over the past five years, will handle the Mt. Washington project.
Money for the project is coming from a $10 million federal grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, which the city was awarded last year.
The project would “preemptively secure the hillsides of Mt. Washington to minimize the probability of a catastrophic slope event,” according to a summary provided by Pittsburgh’s Office of Management and Budget.
Mayor Bill Peduto’s office expressed support for the project when the proposal was introduced to City Council last month.
The project will attempt to prevent landslides in three areas of Mt. Washington.
The first, identified as the “back side,” consists of the slope of Mt. Washington along Routes 19 and 51. The second, the “nose,” refers to the narrow slope of Mt. Washington below a telecommunications tower and above freight rail lines. The final area is the slope facing Downtown, extending over the Liberty Tunnel.