Hillside slide repairs close Route 19 near Waynesburg
Mike Jones
A section of Route 19 just north of Waynesburg was closed in both directions Monday so construction crews can spend the next two months repairing a hillside slide, although the closure was a surprise to some motorists who came upon the blockade earlier this week.
The initial slide in Franklin Township between Oakmont Cemetery and the Jehovah’s Witness church happened in late May when the region experienced heavy rainfall.
No buildings or homes were damaged, but one lane of Route 19 was immediately closed with a temporary traffic light installed to allow crews to make repairs to the hillside. The work became so significant that the state Department of Transportation announced last week that the highway would need to be closed in both directions until late September to give workers adequate access to rebuilding the hillside and roadway.
The main detour urges motorists to use Interstate 79 between the Ruff Creek exit and Waynesburg interchange in order to get around the road closure. While there are detour signs along Route 19 near the Ruff Creek exit and “road closed” signs as vehicles approach the closure, there are no signs on I-79 notifying motorists to remain on the interstate if they wish to bypass the construction area.
PennDOT District 12 spokesperson Melissa Maczko said they expect to have signs installed on I-79 next week alerting drivers of the closure and directing them to remain on the interstate between Ruff Creek and Waynesburg as a detour.
“We are aware of the situation and we’re getting signs made,” Maczko said.
But for the time being, numerous drivers – especially those who unknowingly stumbled upon the road closure this week – are taking the unofficial detour from nearby Tollgate Run Road to Route 21 at the western edge of Waynesburg. That is putting more traffic on the back road and creating some congestion at the intersection with Route 21, which is also under construction as part of a road widening project.
Greene County Emergency Management Director Rich Policz noted that Tollgate Run Road is restricted to non-commercial vehicles, so tractor-trailers and tankers must use the interstate to get around the closure.
“Everything is a concern when you add traffic to another area,” Policz said of motorists likely using Tollgate Run Road. “There’s so much work going on that anything causes us issues. I’m more worried about the emergency response so they can plan accordingly.”
Policz said all emergency services in the county have been informed of the Route 19 closure, and even some trucking companies have sent out alerts to their drivers. Although not everyone has received the message, as was illustrated Wednesday afternoon when a tanker truck came upon the closure and the driver was forced to back up his vehicle nearly a quarter-mile in order to find a place to turn around and head back to the detour on the interstate.
PennDOT is paying $2.7 million to Plum Contracting Inc. to perform the slide repair, which is expected to be completed by late September, depending on the weather conditions.