Turnpike has plan to curb McDonald flooding
Residents blame dirt removal for problems
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In an attempt to allay concerns of McDonald-area residents who have experienced repeated flooding from highway construction, Pennsylvania Turnpike representatives opened a meeting Thursday by apologizing and outlining a plan to fix the problem.
But that didn’t stop about three dozen residents and elected officials from venting their frustration about nine flooding incidents — including Wednesday night — along Route 980 at the CecilMcDonald border since early last year.
That’s when turnpike contractor Joseph B. Fay Co. and its subcontractors began moving thousands of cubic yards of dirt for construction of a bridge. The span is part of the $800 million Southern Beltway toll road the turnpike is building between Interstate 79 and Route 22 on the Washington-Allegheny County border.
State Rep. Jason Ortitay, RBridgeville, called the meeting at the McDonald Borough Building after flooding last weekend.
Cecil Supervisor Cindy Fisher lives a couple of miles away from the flood-prone area, but she summed up the fears of many residents: “Every time the rain starts, my heart sinks.”
Brad Heigel, the turnpike’s chief engineer, apologized repeatedly for the inconvenience residents have experienced and vowed the turnpike will pay for damages and address the problems. Last year, the agency added four temporary retention ponds after spring and early summer floods, correcting problems that led to citations from the Department of Environmental Protection for inadequate runoff controls.
The current problem stems from excavation work for the bridge and the contractor’s need to get to the site. Last week, crews built an access road to place a bridge beam, the turnpike said. But heavy rain last Friday washed some of the material away before runoff controls were installed, and about a dozen homes and businesses were flooded.
Crews took emergency steps over the weekend to help control runoff. After touring the site Thursday with the turnpike’s oversight team, Mr. Heigel said the agency will move up construction of a huge retention pond near the bridge.
Mr. Heigel called that project “paramount” and said it should be finished in about a month. In addition, the agency will take steps to