PennDOT officials are providing more details on the closure of Meridian Road.
Our newsroom has been hearing from residents and businesses in Renfrew which say the closure has caused major issues for their day-to-day life.
PennDOT spokesperson Tina Gibbs said a series of issues that led to the closure. Researchers were on the site soon after the spring landslide that forced the closure to one lane. Later this year, another rain event caused the slide to further deteriorate, which prompted PennDOT to shut down the road.
A spokesperson said that landslides “aren’t something to simply put a band-aid on by moving dirt off of the road.”
Currently, they are conducting additional research, but also say that the landscape and railroad below make it difficult to find a permanent solution.
“At this point, additional surveys need to be obtained which will begin within the next couple of weeks. We also need some additional borings,” Gibbs said. Borings are a sampling technique used to research mineral resources in the subsoil by boring cylinder shaped holes in order to analyze the ground.
They also added that in the event of a flood, Meridian Road would temporarily be reopened.
There is still no timeline on when the road will be repaired.
“Once the final solution is determined, the job will be put out for bid and awarded. Funding needs to be determined as well. We are working through our process as efficiently as possible with an eye towards a permanent and safe repair as the result,” Gibbs said.
