Landslide In Elliott Brings Down More Than Just Mud
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A section of Noblestown Road in Elliott will remain closed at least until Monday because of a landslide.
All day Thursday, crews used excavators to bring down trees, dirt and other debris that are slowly sliding down the hill. Mary Ann Gensler lives nearby and first reported the slide to police on Tuesday.
"I could hear a popping and crackling sound. I'm like what is that? Where is that?" said Gensler.
Turns out, they have had slides here before when it rains. An abandoned underground mine fills up with water and causes trouble.
"It's mine water. There's mine water seeping through these hills here and once they work their way down through the soil," said Guy Costa, Chief Operations Officer for Pittsburgh.
The solution is a drainage system, which the city plans to install. There was also a surprise in the slide: dozens of tires.
The city has a public works facility at the top of the hill, and stockpiled items somehow would end up down over the hill.
Costa: "It could be over the years that someone just pushed them over the hillside with a piece of equipment, or they were too close to the hillside when the truck would dump tires for example. Some of the tires may have gone down the hillside. I don't think it was intentional."
Port Authority buses are allowed to use the closed road but must stop at the site to make sure it's safe before passing through.
