Concerns in Charleroi over integrity of roads after trench collapse and construction

Some residents and leaders in Charleroi are expressing concerns about the integrity of borough roads after a trench collapse last year and ongoing construction in the area.

It's been five months since a worker was trapped nearly 15 feet beneath the surface after a trench collapse on McKean Avenue. Now, near where the collapse happened, cracks are forming across the road.

A week after the collapse, KDKA Investigates learned about pre-existing conditions in the roads throughout the borough, likely from aging infrastructure, where small voids have popped up under the surface.

Meanwhile, since the beginning of 2025, Columbia Gas spent the year working throughout the borough to replace aging infrastructure through a pipeline replacement project.

"We never had trouble until the contractor for the gas company came through and started working on the streets and tearing the streets up," said Robert Whiten Jr., the Charleroi's fire chief.

Whiten and many others said that because of that project, ruts and cracks have formed on several streets throughout the borough.

"It is causing a lot of problems with emergency vehicles and emergency responses coming through this area," Whiten said.

Whiten said there's a rut in the road right outside his fire department.

"We have to pull out easily, because it drops the trucks down, and then when you start to move the truck, the back end starts shaking because you're trying to go over a hump in the front of your station," Whiten said. "We've asked that to be taken care of, and it has been probably two or three months since that's even had any attention."

He said because of the condition of the roads, he's worried about damage to the department's fire trucks, ultimately slowing response times to emergencies.

One of the biggest problem areas is near where the trench collapse happened on McKean Avenue and Eighth Street, where one lane remains closed from construction work. KDKA saw several cracks going across the road where it is coned off.

"We saw some cracks that have developed out on McKean Avenue, State Route 88, which is a PennDOT road. So, PennDOT's been notified of this. They've sent a team down here to assess the extent of the damage, and they're going to take steps to have it remediated," said Joe Manning, Charleroi's borough manager.

Some residents told KDKA-TV that they're concerned about another collapse happening or sinkholes forming on the roads.

KDKA-TV reported in August that small voids were discovered under the surface throughout the borough after the trench collapse.

A spokesperson with Columbia Gas told KDKA-TV in August that some of the voids were from pre-existing conditions and were there prior to the pipeline project starting.

KDKA-TV asked the borough on Wednesday if there were any concerns about the cracks forming on the roads.

"As far as I know, there's no imminent danger of any kind of sinkhole being created like that," Manning said. "Out of an abundance of caution, they blocked off that one lane of traffic to try to keep everybody avoiding that area to create any further damage. And so, they blocked it off until the repairs can be made."

While KDKA-TV was on scene on Wednesday, crews showed up, appearing to backfill holes near where the cracks have formed.

"There was a little bit of settling where they had done some work, and there was some, as I said, some settling, and the ground sunk in a little bit, but they've come back and backfilled it and paved with the top of it," Manning said.

Columbia Gas said it completed its pipeline replacement project in the borough at the end of December.

"Final paving is scheduled for spring 2026. The company encountered minor voids under the road during the project, which had no significant impact on the work completed. Columbia Gas does not believe the cracks are related to the work it recently completed in Charleroi. The company notified the borough whenever it encountered any voids, and PennDOT had previously identified voids in the borough, which could possibly be the root cause. However, if customers have specific issues related to our project, we encourage them to contact us, and we will investigate," a Columbia Gas spokesperson said.

KDKA-TV reached out to PennDOT to learn what plans the agency has to address the cracks in the road. A spokesperson sent us this statement:

"PennDOT is currently coordinating the cause, solution, and timeframe between the borough and utility company at this time."

KDKA-TV also reached out to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to learn what else could potentially be underneath the surface and if the agency is investigating. A spokesperson with the DEP sent a statement that said, in part:

"For state roads under PennDOT jurisdiction, they will investigate to determine the cause of the roadway cracking. For non-state roads, DEP can investigate to determine if roadway cracking or potholes could be mine subsidence caused by pre-1977 mining activity (which would put it a consideration of DEP's Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation to address)."