Ross Township Landslide Frustrating Business Owners
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ROSS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) – Scooping up the hillside, one muddy claw-full at a time, PennDOT said it's looking into a fix for one Ross Township hillside.
According to emergency dispatchers, the landslide happened in the 300 block of Rochester Road around 8 a.m.
"Everything just started sliding down and pushing the wires out," said Sean McKernan, employee at Steel City Landscaping Inc.
McKernan said he looked up after a "loud bang" to see the branches on fire.
"And then I came outside and [the wires] kept arcing and I'm still seeing spots a little bit," said McKernan.
PennDOT crews shut down Rochester Road Monday morning just beyond Hillendale Road.
"This is the third time this has happened in maybe a 3-4 month period," said Jordan Kinzler, owner, Steel City Landscaping Inc.
Kinzler said he's trying to be patient, but it's "really a pain in the butt because it slows us down."
#BREAKING: Landslide on Rochester Rd in Ross Twp. I'm told this is a state-owned road. The slide brought down a tree near power lines @KDKA pic.twitter.com/12CUB3Zyzv
— Meghan Schiller (@MeghanKDKA) November 5, 2018
"Luckily today we were able to sneak a lot of the trucks out of here before they shut the road down and last time they weren't letting us out and I have 30-plus guys on the clock and we're just wasting labor having guys sit here," said Kinzler.
PennDOT said it's now investigating where the water is coming from and thinks the slide might be caused by more than the recent rainfall.
"It's basically just 'let it slide, come scoop it up, and open the road again,'" said Kinzler.
Kinzler said he hopes PennDOT works to find a more permanent solution. PennDOT tells KDKA it is looking into the problem.
Crews are working to clear a landslide in Ross Township.
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