A local road that has been closed because of a landslide more than a year ago in Beaver County remains closed nearly 16 months later, and PennDOT said it could be several years until it’s repaired and reopened.
A landslide washed away part of Wildwood Drive on April 5, 2025. PennDOT said nearly 2,200 drivers took the road every day before the closure, and the detour is nearly four miles long.
“It’s not an easy thing to deal with,” said Christian Cuspard, who works nearby.
Cuspard and many of his coworkers take Wildwood Drive from Route 51 to get to work. Some of them come in from Ohio, and the detour adds 10 to 15 minutes of drive time.
“Since it’s gone on for so long, we’ve had no choice but to adapt and just change our routes when we’re trying to travel to where we’re going,” Cuspard told Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek.
It’s not just an inconvenience for people who take Wildwood Drive to get to and from work.
The road is less than a mile away from the AHN Beaver Hospital, so it’s been tough for Medic Rescue, the ambulance service in Beaver County.
“It was a valuable shortcut or access route for us to the hospital,” said Bill Pasquale, Director of Operations for Medic Rescue. “It helped us to avoid a lot of traffic down into Fallston and around the Vet’s Bridge.”
If they’re coming from the Chippewa area, EMTs have to take a detour to the hospital that has more traffic and several stoplights.
“We wish it was open again, but we’ve adapted to it not being accessible,” Pasquale said. “So we just wait for it to be open.”
PennDOT said crews have not forgotten about fixing the landslide, but the project might not go out to bid until mid to late 2028.
“District 11 has over 108 active landslides. Due to limited funding, repairs must be prioritized based on several factors including scope and cost of the repair, average daily traffic volume, and detour length. With that said, PennDOT has allocated funding and started the design for the repair of Wildwood Road, which has an average daily traffic of 2,200 and has an approximate 4-mile detour. The repair being considered is a rock slope and is going to be a large repair, requiring us to acquire right-of-way; both temporarily for construction access, and also permanently due to the size of the repair that will remain in place. Because the required right-of-way is protected park land requiring a lengthy acquisition process, the project is not expected to go to bid until mid- to late 2028. PennDOT also made minor repairs to nearby Beaner Hollow Road to ensure it remains in good condition while we work through the design process of Wildwood Road,” a statement reads.
Drivers are looking forward to the day it’s reopened.
“Hoping they fix it?” Havranek asked Cuspard.
“Yes, for sure,” Cuspard said.
“The sooner they can get it back in service, the better,” Pasquale added.
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