The landslide that closed Reis Run Road in May is still not stable and the road remains closed.
“The problem is now almost three months old, and there are a lot of people concerned about what is going to happen in the winter time,” resident Robert Smith told Ross commissioners Monday. “It’s a public safety issue, whether people want to admit to it or not.”
Mr. Smith said the detour took him nearly 10 miles and 19 minutes out of his way to attend the commissioners’ meeting.
The landslide on private property forced the state Department of Transportation to close Reis Run on May 31. PennDOT officials have begun legal proceedings to take ownership of the property so the landslide can be fixed.
“The slide is still moving,” Steve Cowan, PennDOT spokesman, said Tuesday. “We will not go in and do any work until the slide stabilizes.”
Mr. Smith said that Reis Run should at least have one lane open for residents and emergency vehicles. “I understand the township’s point, but you guys have to put pressure on PennDOT. Someone has to listen. Someone has to tear the house down and open at least one lane to residents.”
But Mr. Cowan said that is too risky.
“If that hillside comes down, there is the chance that somebody could be badly injured or even killed,” he said. “Safety is our number one priority.”
Mr. Cowan said the department initiated legal proceedings to gain control of the property in order to ultimately fix the problem.
When Cheryl Moon-Sirianni, the District 11 executive, attended a commissioners’ meeting in June, she said that an emergency proclamation signed by the agency allows them to take money from other projects to fix the slide.
Commissioner Joe Laslavic, who represents the area, told residents to also call PennDOT.
“Everyone’s pushing. Push as much as you can,” he said. “Let them know this is a very big concern for public safety.”
In other business, commissioners awarded a $32,000 contract to A.W. McNabb LLC to tear down a house on Transval Avenue.
Resident George Milligan thanked commissioners for moving to demolish the vacant property.
Commissioner Jeremy Shaffer said that the township is working on the legal steps necessary to demolish four or five other abandoned homes.
Sandy Trozzo, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
First Published: August 20, 2019, 4:01 p.m.
