Longwall mining causes ripples on I-70 near West Alexander
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Traffic backs up Tuesday on Interstate 70 between West Alexander and the West Virginia state line, where traffic is restricted because of longwall mining.
Scott McCloskey/For the Observer-Reporter
Traffic slows on Interstate 70 headed into Pennsylvania in an area where travel is restricted because of longwall mining in this Feb. 5 photo.
Scott McCloskey/For the Observer-Reporter
PennDOT District 12 Executive Joseph Szczur surveys the scene along Interstate 70 near West Alexander, where longwall mining is taking place deep beneath the surface of the highway.
Scott McCloskey/For the Observer-Reporter
A PennDOT worker marks potential areas of concern along Interstate 70 near West Alexander.
Scott McCloskey/For the Observer-Reporter
PennDOT District 12 Executive Joseph Szczur, left, talks with district workers monitoring longwall subsidence issues on Interstate 70 near West Alexander.
Subsidence from longwall mining underneath Interstate 70 near West Alexander led to some long traffic backups Tuesday, as traffic had to be temporarily halted to mill down ripples that had formed in the highway.
As of 3 p.m., crews were still working to mill the roadway. Traffic was moving in the eastbound lanes, but the westbound lanes were moving very slowly, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Valerie Petersen said. There was no time frame for completion of the work. Motorists can use Route 40 to bypass the backlog, she said.
Joseph Szczur, district executive for PennDOT District 12, said while his engineers expected issues along Interstate 70 from the longwall mining, the surface subsidence is “occurring sooner” than anyone anticipated.
Szczur, along with several PennDOT officials, inspected the site Tuesday, as several large cracks and “compression bumps” appeared on the edge of the westbound lanes heading into West Virginia. Traffic moved through the work zone at a snail’s pace as road crews milled off part of the bump and marked cracks that have appeared along the edge of the lanes with spray paint.
Crews have been stationed in the area around the clock since the mining started in the area Jan. 29 to be able to immediately address any problems, said Petersen. The road had been restricted to a single lane in each direction in advance of the start of mining. The speed limit also has been reduced to 45 mph.
“As the mining moves under the interstate, there will be some damage to the roadway,” said PennDOT’s safety press officer Jay Ofsanik. “There could be other damage throughout that area in the next several weeks, but we’ll take care of those situations as they arise.”
Tunnel Ridge LLC, a mining company based in Ohio County, W.Va., is mining a coal seam that runs under I-70 into West Virginia. The mining is expected to continue for some time, and subsidence can occur for as long as several weeks after coal has been removed from underneath an area. The company plans to mine nine panels under Interstate 70 between now and 2038.
Szczur said while his engineers are hopeful there won’t be an extended shutdown of Interstate 70 due to subsidence, the proximity of U.S. 40 does make re-routing traffic easier. “We don’t want to close the road, but we will if we have to.”
He also commended Tunnel Ridge for its work in communicating with PennDOT and the West Virginia Division of Highways since first presenting plans to mine the current seam more than three years ago.
“Over the course of the last three years we have been putting in place provisions and talking with the mining company. They have an excellent system set up for communication. So two Mondays ago, we knew they were getting into our right-of-way,” Szczur said.
The working relationship between PennDOT and Tunnel Ridge also helped when, during paving of I-70 last year near the state line, PennDOT was able to remove sections of the interstate’s concrete base in specific areas that might be pushed upward once mining began.
“Our main goal is to protect the traveling public and to keep the millions of Interstate 70 motorists moving across Pennsylvania,” Szczur said.
He also said PennDOT has negotiated agreements with Tunnel Ridge to reimburse the state of Pennsylvania for a portion of the repair costs. He said PennDOT plans to bid a formal contract for repair of I-70 in late March to restore the highway so traffic can travel safely at the normal speed limit.
A similar longwall project under I-79 more than a decade ago near Waynesburg ending up costing Pennsylvania taxpayers $19 million in repairs and ongoing maintenance.
West Virginia Division of Highways District 6 Construction Engineer Jay Wallace also was on site Tuesday with PennDOT officials. He said West Virginia officials also are monitoring the area and preparing for the longwall to cross the state line.
Szczur said PennDOT will continue to take full safety measures by monitoring the interstate at all times using the latest equipment. In PennDOT’s January newsletter, Szczur wrote that the interstate could settle between 2 and 5 feet. To deal with this, the agency has taken the following approach:
- Tunnel Ridge is providing PennDOT with daily updates on the mining conditions and the mine face positions.
- 3-D scans have been utilized to map the contour of the land before the mining occurs for continual comparisons.
- Remote sensing equipment is being used to monitor ground movement at the surface. When the movement exceeds an allowable limit, a message is sent alerting personnel to respond.
- Continuous on-site inspection is provided to monitor actual damage to the roadway.
Scott McCloskey contributed to this report.