Pittsburgh seeks $20 million grant for Mt. Washington face-lift

Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington could be in line for a giant face-lift.

Officials are set to apply for a $20 million federal grant that would pay for the stabilization of the landslide-plagued hill offering panoramic views of the city. Council plans to introduce a resolution on Tuesday that would authorize an application for the grant.

Dan Gilman, Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff, said work would include such things as retaining walls to prevent sliding, new sidewalks and possible replacement of scenic overlook perches along Grandview Avenue. He said the work is long overdue.

“This is really thinking about the face of Mt. Washington and stabilizing it to protect Grandview Avenue, the Liberty Tunnels and McArdle Roadway,” Gilman said. “It’s a large comprehensive plan to stabilize Mt. Washington for decades to come.”

Landslides have regularly closed McArdle Roadway running from Carson Street to the top of Mt. Washington and have threatened Pittsburgh’s two inclines, a major rail line. In 2018, a landslide rolled over a house on Greenleaf Street.

In April 2014, a major slide closed the Duquesne Incline and popular LeMont restaurant for days. Debris blocked a major Norfolk Southern rail line. Officials said Pittsburgh’s hilly topography and its annual freeze-thaw cycles make slides inevitable.

Gilman said the federal BUILD grant is highly competitive and will be challenging for the city to secure.

“It’s one of the most competitive grants in the country and it’s not that long since Pittsburgh got one,” he said, nothing that the U.S. Transportation Department in 2016 awarded a similar, $19 million grant to help build a $30 million “cap” across I-579 to connect the Lower Hill District with Downtown. “It’s an uphill battle.”

Gilman said the application deadline is next month.