Oct 4, 2007 12:42 pm US/Eastern
Restrictions Remain As Crews Work To Clear Rte 28
A single lane of traffic is open in each direction along Route 28 today
PennDOT has not commented on when the highway will completely reopen
by Bob Allen
HARMARVILLE (KDKA) ―
As engineers assess the safety of the hillside along Route 28 after yesterday's rockslide, drivers are continuing to face lane restrictions and delays.
Though one-lane of traffic is now open in both directions, the highway shut down early yesterday morning after huge boulders tumbled onto the road.
One of the first drivers to encounter the rockslide told KDKA that he was driving about 55 miles per hour when he spotted the huge rocks on the highway. "Right in front of me, there were two boulders on the northbound lanes about the size of a Volkswagen -- each of them!"
Wilson managed to avoid hitting either boulder and turned around to warn other drivers by flashing his lights and waving his arms. Despite his efforts, a tractor-trailer slammed into the boulders -- setting off a chain reaction crash.
Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
At this point, officials have not said how long the traffic restrictions will be in place.
A spokesperson for PennDOT says crews will not reopen the highway completely until they can determine it is safe to do so.
In the meantime, drivers are urged to use extra caution. "They will have to do a traffic shift when they come into this area," PennDot's Jim Struzzi explains, "so they should be prepared for the changing traffic patterns."
PennDOT plans to install a steel mesh fence to stop future rocks from falling onto the highway sometime next month.
About 45,000 vehicles travel along Route 28 every day. The area has been prone to rock slides; and, in fact, PennDOT crews were working to stabilize part of the hillside when the latest slide happened.
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