Project Status
Step 3 of 4
Construction
Next Step: Completed
Project Overview
County: Allegheny
Municipality: City of Pittsburgh
Project Type: Stream Restoration, Sediment Reduction, and Floodplain Creation
Proposed Construction Start Date: Moore Park – April 2025; Vannucci Field – May/June 2025
Proposed Construction End Date: Moore Park – May/June 2025; Vannucci Field – July/August 2025
Last Updated: 05/14/2025
PennDOT and Pittsburgh Water are partnering to reduce sediment pollution in the Saw Mill Run Watershed as part of the Pollution Reduction Plan obligations in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit.
Pittsburgh Water has partnered with PennDOT to complete two stormwater improvement projects that will reduce the amount of sediment runoff entering local waterways. The sites selected are the greenways behind Moore Park and Vannucci Park. PennDOT will lead the construction process, while Pittsburgh Water provided engineering designs in support of the project.
Contact Information
Mark Young
Environmental Planning Manager
412-429-4858
markyoung@pa.gov
Steve Cowan
Press Officer
412-334-5436
stcowan@pa.gov
Moore Park
Moore Park is co-owned by the City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The site has a stream that is impaired due to urban runoff and sediment from the impacts of stormwater runoff and land use. The selected restoration projects will be designed with sustainability in mind, along with increasing functionality to reduce sediment loads through the process of reestablishing the waterway and reconnecting the streams to the floodplain. This will include channel restoration, floodplain grading and grade control structures to reestablish the stream channels and reconnect them with the floodplain. Woody debris and live vegetation will be used as the primary materials for the stabilization of the channel in the form of log grade control structures and floodplain features. The reconstructed stream will be designed to have low bank heights that provides an opportunity for the stormwater to spread out over the floodplain. This will reduce the stress from the storm flows, minimizing the erosion of the streambed and banks.
This project will also include two rain garden facilities to collect storm water from the park and fields at the head waters of the waterway. The facilities are designed to reduce the storm surge. The facilities will slowly release water into the stream channel also they are designed to enhance infiltration and evapotranspiration from the vegetation in the rain gardens.
Work began in April 2025 and will be completed by end of May 2025.
Vannucci Park/Beechview Greenway
The selected site at Vannucci Park/Beechview Greenway is owned by the City of Pittsburgh. The site has a stream that is impaired due to urban runoff and excess silt from the impacts of stormwater runoff and land use. The selected restoration projects will be designed with sustainability in mind, along with increasing functionality to reduce sediment loads through the process of reestablishing the waterway and reconnecting the streams to the floodplain. Construction crews will utilize a method referred as regenerative stream conveyance in the unnamed tributary to Sawmill Run. This will include channel restoration, floodplain grading and grade control structures to reestablish the stream channels and reconnect them with the floodplain. Woody debris and live vegetation will be used as the primary materials for the stabilization of the channel in the form of log grade control structures and floodplain features. The reconstructed stream will be designed to have low bank heights that provides an opportunity for the stormwater to spread out over the floodplain. This will reduce the shear stress from the storm flows minimizing the erosion of the streambed and banks.
Also included in the plans is a storm water facility to collect storm water from the existing storm water discharge from the Brashear High School. The facilities are designed to reduce the storm surge. The facilities will slowly release water into the stream channel also they are designed to enhance infiltration and evapotranspiration from the vegetation.
Work will begin in late May 2025 and will be completed in July 2025.
Past Public Outreach
A public meeting was held Monday, May 12, 2025 at Brookline Teen Outreach, 520 Brookline Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA. A PDF of that presentation is available in the resources list above.
Accessibility
The project documents can be made available in alternative languages or formats if requested. If you need translation or interpretation services, have special needs, or have concerns that require individual attention, please contact the Manager listed above.
Title VI
Pursuant to the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, PennDOT does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. If you feel that you have been denied the benefits of, or participation in a PennDOT program or activity, you may contact the PennDOT, Bureau of Equal Opportunity, DBE/Title VI Division at 717-787-5891.