A vehicle that crashed into a utility pole Friday night disabled controls for floodgates designed to stop traffic from entering Washington Boulevard during floods, officials said.
The gates will remain out of commission until the city receives replacement parts, according to Operations Chief Guy Costa. He gave no time frame for when the gates would be repaired.
Officers from the Zone 5 police station on Washington Boulevard will be responsible for setting up barricades to block boulevard access during heavy rain. Zone 5 officers are trained to monitor the flood-prone boulevard during rainfalls and put up barricades.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation installed the flood gate system in 2011 after four motorists drowned in a flash flood.
A female driver, who was not identified, crashed an SUV into the pole around 7:35 p.m. Friday, according to police. She was temporarily trapped in the vehicle and transported to a local hospital in stable condition.
Bob Bauder is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bob at 412-765-2312, bbauder@tribweb.com or via Twitter @bobbauder.
