Repairs begin on Route 40
Work has begun on Route 40 near Summit Mountain to repair damage caused by a landslide last month that closed a 1,000-foot portion of the eastbound lanes. The state Department of Transportation earlier secured $1.6 million to perform emergency repairs to damage on the road caused by a June 6 landslide that caused large cracks in the pavement and shoulder area. The money was allocated from PennDOT’s highway maintenance emergency fund.
Merle G. Bolen, Fayette County maintenance manager for PennDOT, said work on the restoration project is continuing 24 hours a day. He said plans are to have the project completed by Sept. 1. Thousands of people are expected to converge on Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa Sept. 18-21 for the 84 Lumber Classic, a PGA tournament formerly known as the Pennsylvania Classic that will be played at Mystic Rock.
Bolen said crews are “really pushing to get this thing done” by the target date. So far, he said crews are “doing great” with the timetable.
Currently, traffic is traveling in one lane eastbound around the work area, which is approximately 400 feet long by 17 feet wide and 45 feet deep, from a point near where the Hopwood on-ramp merges with Route 40, around 300 feet beyond the excavation area.
Despite the recent stretch of rainy weather, Bolen said he doesn’t expect delays in the project. In addition to excavating the shoulder area, crews are taking one lane out at a depth of 40 feet. He said crews are now in the process of excavating section by section. After that is completed, the pavement repairs will commence, Bolen said.
The $902,781 contract for the project was earlier awarded to Frank Gavlick and Sons Inc. of Charleroi. PennDOT project manager is Mike Kuhn.
Bolen said all the horrendous winter weather and recent water on the road helped contribute to the situation.
The road was expanded from two to four lanes in 1959 and was originally a concrete surface. Bolen said it has been overlaid several times since construction.
According to a scope of work, the work is separated into two phases. Phase One includes excavating the slide and constructing a rock slope to stabilize the road embankment. Phase Two includes repair of the road, replacement of cross pipes and assessing and repairing drainage problems.
Phase One has been given a deadline of Aug. 8 and must be completed before Phase Two begins. Included in the total project are plans to cut numerous trees as well as plans to place rock lining at the ends of two pipes near the entrance to Lick Hollow State Park.