It's regularly said that the sign of orange barrels along our roadways is a sign of progress. That's true. It's also a sign of frustration for the motoring public -- particularly as that construction impedes the flow of traffic.
Motorists have dealt with construction-related traffic issues in our region consistently for the past five years -- from the Interstate 70 Bridges project to trees being trimmed along the interstate to a major downtown reconstruction. All those projects were necessary, yet impacted the ease with which residents have been used to getting around town.
A new -- or an old, depending on how you want to look at it -- construction project got underway on Interstate 70 just this past week. For the next two months, I-70 will be down to one lane in both directions near the West Virginia/Pennsylvania state line. This is necessary as Tunnel Ridge LLC, a coal company with operations in Ohio County, continues mining a seam of coal in the Pittsburgh coalbed that runs underneath the interstate.
This is the third time Tunnel Ridge's longwall operation has passed under the interstate over the past five years. The company has plans to mine under I-70 six more times over the next decade-plus.
What makes this operation difficult for the public is that taxpayers are funding constant repair of the interstate as the longwall moves through. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, longwall mining can lead to several feet of settling of the highway and adjacent median. Data collected by PENNDOT and the University of Pittsburgh in 2019 during the project indicate some sections of I-70 experienced "5-feet of vertical subsidence and 1.5-feet of horizontal movement on the highway surface as the subsidence basin formed."
Think about that: the highway shifted by more than a foot, and sunk by 5 feet. Tunnel Ridge has a right to access its mineral reserves, but a full accounting of what taxpayers in both states spent to keep the motoring public moving will be necessary.
In the meantime, slow down, take your time and be patient. Don't exacerbate the traffic tie-ups. And be mindful of those working in construction zones; they're just doing their jobs, and want to get home safe each day.