Officials: Route 30 Repairs Will Take Months, No Long-Term Answers For Evacuees
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EAST PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The uncertainty of what comes next continues for more than 30 people who were displaced on Electric Avenue after the landslide that brought down Route 30 in East Pittsburgh.
For some who live there, their former homes have already been torn down. The county is working with others to see if they can get back inside safely and pick up a few special mementos.
"We've arranged for a time frame [Monday] where we will assist those that have been displaced to be able to return and potentially retrieve some of the important necessities that they need -- medications, telephones, maybe books with special numbers," Chief Matt Brown of Allegheny County Emergency Management said.
But there are no long-term answers.
Meghan Schiller's Report:
At least one other home will have to come down.
"While we were doing the demolition of the apartment building last night, cracks started to form at the bottom. The wall that was holding up the deck started to move. We do believe this is going to have to be demolished also," PennDOT District 11 Executive Cheryl Moon-Sirianni said.
Officials have set up a 24-hour helpline for those affected by the landslide. Evacuees can call (412)-473-7099 with any questions or concerns.
PennDOT says it will be a while before the road can be repaired.
"We are definitely talking months, not weeks, for how long it's going to take us to get this fixed," Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards said.
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What caused the collapse?
"Most of the landslides around here are precipitated by the weather," Richards said.
How are they going to fix it?
"We don't have a definitive plan. We have an idea," Moon-Sirianni said. "Until we remove what's still there, they almost got it all down, and do a couple more holes, they have to drill pretty deep down to see where the rock and everything is."
Until then, the detours and the back-ups will continue, and drivers will search for alternate routes.