Crews clearing debris from Route 30 landslide, building collapse

EAST PITTSBURGH — 4:29 p.m.: State Rep. Paul Costa, D-Allegheny, today said that several transit routes will be affected for an undetermined amount of time following Saturday's partial collapse of state Route 30 in East Pittsburgh.

RELATED STORY: What to do if you suspect your home is in danger of a landslide

“The unfortunate collapse of the roadway will severely impact the transit routes in and around the affected area,” Costa said. “While details of the road collapse continue to roll in, my office will work toward ensuring the public has the most up-to-date information as it becomes available.”

12:30 p.m.: Families forced out of their homes are meeting with local and state officials Monday to find out what options they have moving forward.

Crews continue working to clean up an incredible amount of dirt from this slide and debris from the apartment building that was destroyed.

The evacuated buildings still have belongings inside and we are working to learn if and when those people will be able to get some of their things.

9:50 a.m.: The American Red Cross is putting together a team of volunteers to meet with people who were evacuated because of the Route 30 landslide that destroyed their apartment building.

Organizations and agencies including the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Department of Human Services and Salvation Army are partnering with the Red Cross.

5:40 a.m.: Construction crews are working around the clock to clear debris from Saturday's landslide that caused part of Route 30 to crumble and collapsed apartments on Electric Avenue.

Monday morning will be the first weekday commute during which commuters will have to deal with the closure of Route 30 and use detours.

Once debris from the slide is removed, officials will be able to better determine the best way to make repairs.

Residents evacuated by the slide have been put up in hotels.

11 p.m. (4/8/18)

Workers are spending a second night removing debris in order to further investigate the cause and how best to fix it.

“We’ve seen 10 inches of precipitation since the 15th of February, which is an incredible amount of precipitation just in the month of February alone, which is the wettest month in Allegheny County on record, according to the national weather services,” said Matt Brown, with the Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services.

PennDOT has released the following updated westbound detour to alleviate traffic on Electric Avenue:

New Posted Westbound Route 30 Detour

• From westbound Route 30, traffic will turn right onto Greensburg Pike in North Versailles Township
• Greensburg Pike becomes Monroeville Avenue
• Turn left onto the Tri-Boro Expressway (Route 130)
• Turn right onto Brown Avenue (Route 130)
• Brown Avenue becomes Beulah Road
• Turn left onto William Penn Highway
• Turn left onto the ramp to westbound (inbound) I-376 Parkway East
• Follow I-376 to Wilkinsburg (Exit 78B) interchange

The eastbound detour remains unchanged.

Posted Eastbound Route 30 Detour

• From eastbound Route 30, all traffic will take the ramp to Electric Avenue toward East Pittsburgh/Turtle Creek
• Turn right onto Braddock Avenue
• Turn left onto East Pittsburgh McKeesport Boulevard
• Turn left onto Navy-Marine Corp Way
• Turn right onto eastbound Route 30

8:15 p.m.: Port Authority riders that use seven different routes should anticipate significant delays because of Route 30 closing.

Some stops will also not be served while the road is closed.

6:30 p.m.: Engineers for PennDOT still don't have a definitive plan for how to shore up the hill where the landslide happened or fix Route 30.

Debris is still being removed.

RELATED HEADLINE: 11 things to know about Route 30 landslide, collapse

Once it is clear, there will be a better understanding of what needs to be done and when it can happen.

That's expected to happen by the end of the week.

5:30 p.m.: Cleanup and work on Route 30 will take months, not weeks, according to PennDOT officials.

The people who have been displaced from nearby, affected apartment buildings are getting relocation help.

Approximately 30,000 drivers use this portion of Route 30 everyday.

2:45 p.m.: Work has begun to repair what is left of Route 30 in East Pittsburgh.

Crews have been working around the clock since Saturday morning, when a section of the major roadway completely caved in, sliding over 30 feet overnight.

RELATED STORIES:

• Dozens evacuated after apartment building collapses near Route 30
• Multiple roads in Allegheny Co. closed due to landslides
• Apartments evacuated for falling trees as landslide continues in East Pittsburgh
• VIDEO: Cleanup continues after apartment building collapses near Route 30

That caused an apartment building below the road to collapse, leaving dozens of residents without a home.

VIDEO: Crews demolish apartments along Electric Avenue after Route 30 landslide VIDEO: Crews demolish apartments along Electric Avenue after Route 30 landslide

Several businesses and a nearby homeowner were forced to evacuate as well, as PennDOT is taking precautions regarding potential demolitions. Route 30 is closed "long-term" to give crews ample time to fully repair the road.

2:20 PM: Chopper 11 flew over Route 30 in East Pittsburgh to get a closer look at the collapsed road, and the damage it left.

Crews began demolishing buildings and starting initial repairs around the area.

Debris lay all around the area where the apartment building collapsed Saturday morning.

8:40 AM

7:45 AM

Cox Media Group