NESHANNOCK TWP. Roads will be repaired after storm damage

Officials said that despite being weakened by recent heavy rains, Cunningham Road is still safe to travel.
By VIRGINIA ROSS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Recent storms have affected at least two roads in Neshannock Township, but supervisors announced they'll soon be repairing the damage.
During their regular meeting Wednesday, township officials said work was to begin on Clover Lane today.
Supervisor John DiCola said the embankment slid away from the road, causing the road to weaken. Guardrails are also sliding, he added.
He said the project, which will cost the township $6,500 for machinery and between $3,000 and $4,000 for materials, should take two days to complete.
Drainage pipe: Also, officials are waiting the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's approval to replace a drainage pipe beneath Cunningham Lane.
Supervisors said the drainage system beneath the road couldn't handle the force and volume of water from recent heavy rains and the water flooded the road and washed out its edges.
DiCola said he believes debris from the storms clogged the drainage pipe. He said the township excavated the road and stabilized it by lining the road edges with rocks.
DEP approval: The township needs DEP approval to finish the project to ensure that the work being done doesn't interfere with the stream that runs beneath the road, he said.
He plans to apply this week for a DEP permit through a telephone application and hopes the work will be completed within the next month.
"You can travel [the road], but the work is something that needs to be done," he said. "We're keeping an eye on it and checking it regularly. But we're going to express to the DEP that we feel it is an emergency situation and that the work needs to be done as soon as possible."