Wal-Mart Tries To Get Ball Rolling At Route 65 Landslide SitePOSTED: 4:49 pm EDT April 27,
2007 Seven months after a massive landslide caused major problems on Route 65 in Kilbuck Township, actions are finally being taken to secure the hillside.Even as work continued shortly after the landslide, the soil continued to move.The state is trying to determine what it will take to stop it."The exclusive focus of the department right now is the permanent stability of the site," said Helen Humphries of the Department of Environmental Protection. "We aren't looking beyond that."For the first time since the landslide, engineers from Wal-Mart, which is looking to build on the site, have assumed control of the troubled project.Officials from the company met with the DEP to begin formulating a stabilization plan.But many are beginning to wonder whether Wal-Mart still intends to build a store after all of the trouble.A company spokesman said, "I know for sure we still have not reviewed plans for the site and will not do so until the stabilization of the site is permanent."But engineering expert Jim Hamel said he believes Wal-Mart could be having second thoughts, given that it would likely cost millions more to prepare the site for the original project."It's one thing to stabilize for, let us say, recreational use like parkland-open space," said Hamel. "It's another thing to stabilize it to the extent that a multimillion-dollar store or other major facility could be safely installed there." Related Links: More County NewsGet RSS | E-Mail Alerts Copyright 2007 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
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