‘A death trap’: Runoff water freezing causing concern in Fineview
Neighbors in Fineview are calling it a “death trap.” Frozen runoff is turning their street into an ice rink.
“Something bad is going to happen sometime,” said John Busin.
John Busin has lived in Pittsburgh’s Fineview neighborhood for 25 years. And because of that, he drives on Suffolk Street all the time.
“In the summer, it’s not bad,” said Busin. “It’s just water. But in the winter, when it starts to freeze and the temperature is right around 32 and cars come down the hill you go into a slide, and I’ve seen accidents.”
“I have submitted two to three, 311 requests to have them come out,” said Busin. “They’ve referred it to PWSA. PWSA closes the issue saying it’s not their problem. So the city in response put a salt box there. That was it.”
Several Channel 11 viewers reached out to us about this issue. One even called it a “death trap.”
The water spilling down Suffolk Street seems to be coming from a spring.
So whose responsibility is it to fix it?
A spokesperson with PWSA says their stormwater department met with the City’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure about this issue back in September. PWSA determined it was definitely groundwater from a vacant lot and says the Permits, Licenses and Inspections department has been tasked with trying to get in touch with the property owner.
“It’s still a public hazard,” said Busin.
Channel 11 reached out to the City of Pittsburgh who asked if we reached out to PWSA. In an email, Mayor Ed Gainey’s Press Secretary Olga George said she’d let us know what she’s able to find out about this.
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