Crews Finish First Phase of Landslide Remediation

Township officials said crews are wrapping up the first phase of work to repair a  moving from the Autumn Woods housing development toward Flaugherty Run Road. 

Township Manager Jeanne Crease said last week the first phase of the project includes securing the hillside from slipping farther toward the roadway. 

Hard soil will prevent crews from continuing work on the hillside in winter months. 

"You can tell from the site that [crews] have done significant work there," Creese said. "He's actually made good progress there."  

In October, the New Castle-based Forbes Excavating began work on the slide, which was detected in 2007. Moon-based developer New Pointe Realty, which owns the hillside property and contracted the excavating company, could not be reached for comment. 

Township officials, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Allegheny County Conservation District worried that the sliding hillside threatened Flaugherty Run and Becks Run roads.

The hill's remediation was originally slated to begin in the spring, but the developer delayed it, township officials said. New Pointe signed a consent order in July with the DEP, agreeing to  to repair the landslide. Work on the project, however, did not begin until autumn. 

Water overflow from an improperly installed storm-water basin at the foot of the 34-house Autumn Woods development has pushed sediment downhill toward the roadways, uprooting trees and eroding land, since the basin was installed.

"Work did start late [on the remediation]," Creese said. "So there was only so much work that could get done. But because we've had warm weather late in the season, they've continued to work." 

Creese said Township Engineer Malcolm Petroccia has been inspecting the site and is satisfied with the progress of the remediation. 

Petroccia told the  earlier this month that he expects the project will be completed one month later than expected. 

"They're still working; they're still removing soil from the top portion [of the hillside]," Petroccia said. "They've been running about a month behind schedule. I would expected sometime after June 1. Originally, it was May 1."