Wal-Mart Pledges To Stabilize Rt. 65 Construction SitePOSTED: 9:08 am EDT August 1,
2007 PITTSBURGH -- Wal-Mart says it will stabilize a hilltop construction site that caused a major landslide on Route 65 in Kilbuck Township, whether or not it ever builds a store there.Company spokesman Jim Davis told about 150 neighbors on Tuesday that Wal-Mart will not leave the site until the ground stops sliding."I am committing to you here tonight that Wal-Mart will do everything it can to remediate that site," Davis said."Wal-Mart has not discussed or considered our development plans for the site. We're not concerned about what the final footprint will look like. We're concerned about one thing: site stabilization," Davis said.Part of the work site gave way Sept. 19, sending 500,000 cubic yards of dirt and debris down onto the highway, which is a major artery to Pittsburgh's western suburbs.All lanes of the road were closed for two weeks in the area of the slide. One outbound lane is still closed.Wal-Mart wants to remove about 850,000 square yards of soil and pile it on another part of the property away from the highway.Then, it would build a 100-foot reinforced soil wall along Route 65 to try to prevent anything else from spilling onto the road.The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is reviewing the plan. If approved, the work could last through 2009.Wal-Mart took control of the site because the state was not satisfied that the original developer, Kilbuck Properties, was doing enough to prevent another landslide. Related Links: More Allegheny County NewsGet RSS Headlines | Free Desktop Alert Copyright 2007 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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