Monongahela Incline Will Reopen Friday

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- After receiving authorization from state inspectors, Port Authority will reopen the Monongahela Incline at start of service Friday.

This comes 13 weeks after it was closed to repair damage due to flooding.

"I want to thank the residents and businesses in the Hilltop communities, especially those in Mt. Washington, who have been extremely patient over the last three months," said Port Authority Chief Development Officer David Huffaker, whose division includes the engineering and maintenance teams that managed the repairs. "Closing the incline for an extended period of time certainly was difficult, but for safety reasons had to be done."

A water main that runs along Grandview Avenue in Mount Washington broke January 19 and flooded the upper station, forcing it to close for five days. The same water main broke in two separate locations within a 24 hour period two weeks later, causing even further damage.

The incline has been closed and out of service since February 4.

Inspectors from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry authorized the reopening of the incline Thursday afternoon.

During the closure, Port Authority crews conducted routine maintenance which included replacing the safety cable, which will keep the incline from being taken out of service later this year.

Shuttle bus service will be discontinued immediately. Port Authority had been operating a shuttle between the upper and lower stations of the Mon Incline and more recently from the upper station of the Mon Incline to the upper station of the Duquesne Incline.