Photo by Scott McCloskey

WHEELING — It’s been less than a month since Tunnel Ridge LLC began longwall mining operations under Interstate 70 at the Pennsylvania/West Virginia state line, and state highways officials already are dealing with mine subsidence.

On Tuesday, more “compression bumps” and cracks emerged along the highway in Pennsylvania, near the West Alexander exit, causing Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials to slow traffic in the westbound lanes heading into West Virginia as crews repaired the highway. This followed similar issues Saturday in the eastbound lanes.

Joseph Szczur, district executive for PennDOT District 12, said while his engineers expected issues along Interstate 70 from the longwall mining, the surface subsidence is “occurring sooner” than anyone anticipated.

Szczur, along with several PennDOT officials, inspected the site Tuesday, as several large cracks and bumps appeared during the morning on the edge of the westbound lanes. Traffic moved through the work zone at a snail’s pace as road crews milled down the bumps and marked cracks that have appeared along the roadway’s edge with spray paint.

“These are compression bumps that happen as the mining is occurring below, and then it sends shockwaves up to the surface and of course the ground is moving every which way,” Szczur said. “We are already starting to see some of the subsidence … but it is not pronounced yet.

“What you’re seeing is the initial settlement. … We are probably going to have, when all is said and done, upward of 4 to 5 feet of settlement.”

Szczur said Ohio County-based Tunnel Ridge advances the longwall about 100 feet a day, and that the longwall currently is heading west into West Virginia. PennDOT crews are monitoring the area at all times for any damage that could impact the motoring public.

“Our idea is to slow traffic down and be safe,” he said.

PennDOT District 12, which covers Washington, Greene, Fayette and Westmoreland counties, has dealt with longwall mining under an interstate two dozen times since 1982.

Szczur, in the District 12 newsletter, also notes there are plans for longwall mining under Interstate 70 nine more times over the next 19 years.

Szczur said while his engineers are hopeful there won’t be an extended shutdown of Interstate 70 due to subsidence, the proximity of U.S. 40 does make re-routing traffic easier. “We don’t want to close the road, but we will if we have to.”

He also commended Tunnel Ridge for its work in communicating with PennDOT and the West Virginia Division of Highways since first presenting plans to mine the current seam more than three years ago.

“Over the course of the last three years we have been putting in place provisions and talking with the mining company. They have an excellent system set up for communication. So two Mondays ago, we knew they were getting into our right-of-way,” Szczur said.

The working relationship between PennDOT and Tunnel Ridge also helped when, during paving of I-70 last year near the state line, PennDOT was able to remove sections of the interstate’s concrete base in specific areas that might be pushed upward once mining began.

“Our main goal is to protect the traveling public and to keep the millions of Interstate 70 motorists moving across Pennsylvania,” Szczur said.

He also said PennDOT has negotiated agreements with Tunnel Ridge to reimburse the state of Pennsylvania for a portion of the repair costs. He said PennDOT plans to bid a formal contract for repair of I-70 in late March to restore the highway so traffic can travel safely at the normal speed limit.

A similar longwall project under I-79 more than a decade ago near Waynesburg ending up costing Pennsylvania taxpayers $19 million in repairs and ongoing maintenance.

West Virginia Division of Highways District 6 Construction Engineer Jay Wallace also was on site Tuesday with PennDOT officials. He said West Virginia officials also are monitoring the area and preparing for the longwall to cross the state line.