PennDOT to check out Menoher Boulevard, other roads after storm; slide shuts Barnett Street
Apr. 5—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Storms that dropped as much as five inches of rain on the region moved on Thursday — but they left behind structural concerns on two busy travel corridors.
PennDOT engineering crews were investigating a landslide below Menoher Boulevard near the border between Southmont Borough and the city of Johnstown.
And a portion of state Route 53 just east of Portage was closed Thursday due to erosion.
Southmont fire Deputy Chief Edward Burkett said a section of land more than 200 feet wide became unstable Wednesday night, bringing down trees, soil and power lines between Menoher Boulevard and Barnett Street. That area has been prone to slides in the past.
Barnett Street was closed for safety reasons while PennDOT investigates the extent of the problem, Burkett said.
As of Thursday afternoon, drivers could travel both inbound and outbound with a modified traffic pattern on Menoher Boulevard, which is also state Route 271. One lane was designated for traffic in each direction.
Monica Owens, PennDOT safety press officer, said it wasn't yet clear how long traffic will be restricted in the area.
"PennDOT crews are currently assessing the volume of the slide, the extent of the issue and efforts to clean it up," Owens said. "At this point, there's no timetable on how long it will take."
Penelec crews were also at the scene Thursday, repairing lines at the site of the slide, which is next to a section of the hillside that was lined with rock in 2018 to improve stabilization and drainage.
Burkett said Southmont crews were initially dispatched at 7:35 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a low-hanging tree on Menoher Boulevard. But responders soon determined that significant erosion was causing the tree to lean, he said.
Assessments also continued of issues on Route 53 just outside Portage, where the ground underneath the road became unstable, PennDOT said. A section of the road remained closed, with traffic being detoured onto state Route 164 toward Lilly.
Somerset County Emergency Management Agency Director Joel Landis said a bridge on state Route 403 across Bens Creek in Conemaugh Township was also closed Wednesday night.
PennDOT crews were sent to the scene to examine the bridge's structural stability. The bridge was reopened by 10 a.m. Thursday.
Landis said borough and township crews, as well as agencies such as PennDOT, will likely be examining bridges, roads and other structures this week to make sure the storm didn't cause additional issues.
Properties will likely be checked, too, Landis said, referencing the number of basements that likely were flooded this week.
"A lot of times, you don't know how bad it was ... until after the storm is over and you can get a closer look," he said.
