Reserve Twp. Residents Demand Faster Repairs To Landslide Overlooking Route 28
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RESERVE TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- When heavy rains in February caused Pittview Avenue in Reserve Township to collapse over the hillside overlooking Route 28, local residents knew they were in for a lot of trouble.
"Very inconvenient."
Marlene Wieczorek says the only way out is through a private cemetery.
"It's very difficult because most of us have not had parties or picnics or get-togethers in the summer because it's hard to describe to guests how to get through the cemetery," Wieczorek told KDKA money editor Jon Delano on Friday.
What really bothers residents is that, while the Route 30 road collapse in East Pittsburgh was repaired in three months, they've seen little action so far from township officials.
"It's gone on almost eight months, and every month you ask them, they give you a date to start and it never comes through," says Tom Latwin.
But that could change soon.
Local officials tell KDKA they hope to start work on Aug. 27.
But reconstructing a hillside and a road on top of that hill is not going to be cheap. Officials say it could cost taxpayers in Reserve Township as much as $3.4 million.
It does require some major engineering, says Reserve police Chief James Etherington.
Delano: "Is it repairable? Can you build up a hillside like that?"
Etherington: "Yeah, we had some geo-techs come in, and they did do some digging. We secured a bid, and we have Goettel Corporation coming in, which will be doing the repair. They did the designs, and everything is going to be done shortly. They're going to be getting started."
But it won't be easy, says Etherington.
"They're going to build some walls, some retaining walls, and they're going to tier it off and refabricate the road," he said.
Residents just want to see the work get started, and completed before this winter.
"It's supposed to be done by Thanksgiving, so I hope that's true because the bad weather comes after that," Wieczorek said.
