Pittsburgh Water oversees all projects, but licensed contractors often perform the work. All contractors follow Pittsburgh Water standards and safety protocols.

Permitting & Planning: A land operations permit is required for any project impacting Pittsburgh Water infrastructure, requiring a review of construction drawings by Pittsburgh Water. All work must follow Pittsburgh Water standard details, and plans must clearly show nearby water, sewer, and storm lines.

Safety & Digging: Before excavation, contractors must contact PA One Call to identify underground infrastructure and prevent damage to water and sewer pipes.

Backflow Prevention: When installing or modifying water systems, contractors must follow Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) regulations and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Title 25 Pennsylvania Code, Section 109.709 when installing approved backflow prevention devices.

Environmental Compliance: Contractors must adhere to environmental policies that prevent contamination and meet state regulations. Pittsburgh Water often does more comprehensive environmental surveys than what are required. This may lengthen the construction timeline slightly, but it aligns with our values of environmental stewardship.

Pittsburgh’s water, sewer, and stormwater systems are the backbone of our city, but much of this infrastructure is more than a century old and has been neglected for decades.

Aging pipes, outdated sewer lines, and lead service connections pose risks to public health, reliability, and the environment. That’s why Pittsburgh Water is making historic investments in construction projects across the city. These improvements are designed to ensure safe drinking water, reduce flooding, and protect our rivers for future generations. While construction can be inconvenient, these upgrades are essential to building better water and sewer infrastructure systems in Pittsburgh that will serve our community for decades to come.

Water Main Replacement

The average age of Pittsburgh’s water mains is around 80 years old. These pipes are essential for delivering clean drinking water to homes and businesses, but age and decades of deferred maintenance can lead to service disruptions. Replacing these mains ensures reliable service and fewer water outages and emergency repairs. Replacing and repairing lines also improves water quality by reducing the risk of contamination. As we work, we prepare the system for Pittsburgh’s future development and right-size it to anticipate the needs of future generations. 

Sewer and Stormwater System Upgrades

Like Pittsburgh’s water mains, our sewer system is very old and has suffered decades of deferred maintenance. The antiquated design of our sewer system means that during heavy storms, flooding and sewer overflows into rivers and streams can occur. Old, unmaintained sewers are also often in various states of disrepair. Our work to modernize, repair, restore, and right-size the system involves projects like replacing or relining sewer pipes to prevent leaks and backups, replacing, maintaining, and installing stormwater infrastructure such as catch basins, sewer understructures, or larger pipes to manage runoff, and occasionally relocating sewers entirely from places they never should have been built. 

Lead Service Line Replacement

Pittsburgh Water's lead line response has been a focus area that brings us great pride. As with many older cities in this part of the country, our city has inherited thousands of lead lines. Because Pittsburgh Water is committed to removing all lead lines from our system, we have worked at an aggressive pace, but an end is in sight - we are on track to have all lines removed by 2027.

Learn more about our different types of construction projects above on this page.

No Parking Signage Requirements
Pittsburgh's Department of Mobility and Infrastructure issues no-parking permits for construction projects. Pittsburgh Water can restrict parking for up to 60 days from 7AM - 5PM, depending on the permit. 

No Parking Signs must:

• Match the permit dates and times exactly.
• Be posted 48-hours in advance for planned work.
• Remain visible and securely posted for the full duration of the restriction. The timeline from DOMI reflects total timeframe of permit, NOT how long work will impact any given street.  The dates listed are often weeks or months, when work may only last one week or even a few days.
• If the construction schedule changes, the permit and the signage must be updated accordingly.

No Parking Timeframes: Why is there still a restriction, but no work is being done?

The dates posted on cones reflect the full permit period approved for the project, not just the days crews are actively working. Utilities need flexibility to schedule work around weather, equipment availability, and coordination with other projects. While we understand this can be inconvenient, extended dates help avoid repeated re-permitting and re-signing, which can delay work further. 

Contractors work with homeowners to move vehicles and will not tow cars unless they cannot complete the work or if the homeowner or occupant refuses to move.

On-Site Safety and Detours

Detours for construction projects are planned in coordination with the City of Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) and, when necessary, PennDOT. 

Pittsburgh Water does not assume responsibility for on-site safety measures, including detour signage, traffic flagging, or other safety-related compliance. These obligations rest with the contractor in accordance with applicable regulations and permit requirements.

Detours are designed to keep drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists away from active work zones and heavy equipment. We follow Pittsburgh’s traffic control standards and work closely with DOMI to ensure compliance. Routes are chosen to minimize congestion on major corridors, while maintaining access for residents and businesses.

In addition to our project map above, you may find the following resources helpful:

• City of Pittsburgh DOMI Right-of-Way Obstructions This map contains all permitted obstructions to the public right of way, which are streets, alleys, trails and sidewalks.
• DOMI Rules and Regulations Guiding Permits, Licenses, and Plan Reviews

Equipment Staging
Pittsburgh Water is not responsible for the staging or storage of equipment used on construction projects. Any arrangements for equipment placement on private property must be made directly between the contractor and the property owner. 

Our goal is to complete projects as quickly and safely as possible while ensuring high-quality results that will serve the community for decades. Your patience and understanding as we make essential improvements to Pittsburgh’s water and sewer infrastructure collectively enable this important work, which will deliver better service for generations to come. In some cases, our own values of environmental stewardship can slightly elongate construction timelines, but we feel that taking extra measures to protect the environment while we work pays dividends back to our community, which are not often quantified but always worthwhile.

There are many factors that can elongate construction timelines during projects:

• Complexity of the Work: Replacing water mains, sewer lines, or installing stormwater systems often involves deep excavation and precise engineering. In a City as old as ours, something as simple as referencing records and applying to real conditions in the field can cause unexpected delays, due to the age of some of the records.
   
• Safety Requirements: Crews must follow strict safety protocols to protect workers, residents, and property. 
   
• Environmental Stewardship: Pittsburgh Water often conducts more comprehensive environmental surveys than required. This may lengthen the construction timeline, but it aligns with our values of environmental stewardship. Some instances where we go above and beyond:

  • Stream and Wetland Protection – Extra measures to prevent sediment runoff and protect aquatic habitats near construction sites.

  • Erosion and Sediment Control – Installing additional barriers, silt fences, and stormwater controls beyond what is required to keep soil and debris out of rivers and streams.

  • Tree and Vegetation Preservation – Adjusting work plans to avoid unnecessary tree removal, reuse materials where possible, and restore green spaces after construction.

  • Wildlife Considerations – Provisioning time to consider activities that avoid disrupting local species.

  • Material Recycling and Disposal – Safely handling and recycling old pipes and construction debris to reduce landfill waste.

• Unexpected Conditions: Underground utilities, old infrastructure, or unstable soil can cause delays when crews encounter issues that weren’t visible during planning.
   
• Weather: Heavy rain, snow, or extreme cold can slow progress or temporarily halt work.
   
• Contractor schedules and staffing: If a subcontractor is delayed on another job, it may delay their availability for our project. Certain tasks, such as asphalt restoration or tree replanting, require certified crews that may have limited availability, and sometimes, this work must happen in sequence (e.g., pipe installation before paving), so delays in one area can affect the entire timeline. Weather and Seasonal Constraints mean subcontractors often have peak seasons for work such as paving and landscaping, which can limit flexibility.
   
• Coordination with Other Agencies: Projects often require permits and coordination with the City of Pittsburgh, PennDOT, and other utility companies.
   
• Restoration Work: After pipes and new infrastructure are installed, crews must restore streets, sidewalks, and landscaping, which adds time to the schedule.

We understand this can be frustrating. There are several reasons why a street may remain closed even when crews aren’t actively working:

• Construction Crew Sequencing: If a subcontractor is delayed on another job, it may delay their availability for our project. Certain tasks, such as asphalt restoration or tree replanting, require certified crews that may have limited availability, and sometimes, this work must happen in sequence (e.g., pipe installation before paving), so delays in one area can affect the entire timeline. 
   
• Safety: Open trenches, heavy equipment, or exposed utilities can pose hazards. Keeping the street closed ensures public safety.
   
• Curing and Settling: Concrete, asphalt, or other materials often need time to cure or settle before traffic can safely return. Even when a project looks complete, the materials might not be at a point where normal use is recommended.
   
• Utility Coordination: Sometimes we must wait for other utilities (gas, electric, telecom) or the City to complete their work before we can proceed.
   
• Weather Delays: Rain or extreme temperatures can halt work temporarily, but the closure remains for safety and to protect unfinished work.
   
• Inspection Requirements: Certain steps require inspections by city or state agencies before crews can continue.

We keep closures as short as possible and reopen streets as soon as it’s safe. Thank you for your patience while we complete these improvements to Pittsburgh’s water system.

About the Restoration Process: Emergencies vs. Regularly Scheduled Projects

Restorations or paving after emergency repairs and planned construction projects do not always take place immediately after work is completed. Restorations are handled differently depending on the type of work we perform and the weather.

• Planned Construction: Street restorations for planned construction projects take place soon after the work is completed. These projects typically occur from spring through fall, when asphalt plants are open and concrete can set properly.
   
• Emergency Repairs: Water main breaks and sewer failures are common examples of emergency repairs. These unplanned events require that we dig into roadways and sidewalks. Sometimes this work occurs during the winter months, when asphalt plants are closed and temperatures are too low for larger areas of concrete and other materials to set properly. 

  After an emergency repair is made, the street and/or sidewalk will be either temporarily or permanently restored, depending on the time of year. We cannot provide permanent pavement restorations until temperatures are warmer in the spring through fall. 
  
  Final restoration is completed in the warmer months, in spring through fall. Due to the high number of restoration sites, in part because of our aggressive lead service line replacement program, it may take several weeks before sites are restored permanently. Please note that the work is weather-dependent and subject to change.

• Planned Construction: Street restorations for planned construction projects take place soon after the work is completed. These projects typically occur from spring through fall, when asphalt plants are open and concrete can set properly.

Asphalt crews and concrete crews work independently of each other. This means that it is not uncommon to see street paving and sidewalk replacement happening at different times.

In an effort to be as efficient as possible, we organize our projects by neighborhood so contractors do not need to move their materials and equipment across our service area on a daily basis. This reduces our costs and saves our ratepayers money. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to perform our work as quickly and responsibly as possible. Please see the restoration schedule above for current restoration locations.

Visit our Report a Claim for Damages page to report damages to private property or call (412) 255-2423 (Press 1).