West Newton's Hill Street is definitely steep

There was a time when Raymond Vargo could have accumulated quite a collection of car parts at his West Newton home.

And they were free, having rattled off of vehicles barrelling down bumpy Hill Street past Vargo’s house.

“My first year, I was finding shock absorbers and all kinds of car parts,” because the cars were going so fast down the hill, said Vargo, who has lived on the street for 17 years.

Hill Street in West Newton is laid out on a steep grade for about 700 feet, from Vine Street up to its intersection with East Main Street (Route 136) through the borough.

Pamela Humenik, West Newton borough secretary/treasurer, wasn’t certain of the street’s grade, but she said it was definitely steep.

A Tribune-Review unscientific survey of steep streets in Westmoreland County puts Hill Street as one of the steepest. It could not be verified if the county has a list of steepest streets.

In Pittsburgh, Canton Avenue in the city’s Beechview neighborhood, has been recognized as the steepest street in the nation by major news outlets, including worldatlas.com, Fox News and the Huffington Post. The street has a 37 percent grade.

A pair of signs — one at the top and another at the bottom — recognizing Canton Avenue as the steepest street, which is mostly cobblestone, were unveiled recently by the city.

Vaughn Neill, Westmoreland County engineer, said West Newton’s Hill Street is probably the closest comparison to Canton Avenue of which he is aware. Semler Street in the Grapeville section of Hempfield is also steep, but is short.

“None of the county-owned roads have any gradient like this,” Neill said.

While there are no signs designating Hill Street as the steepest in the region, let alone Westmoreland County, the borough’s public works department does take notice.

When the first snow of the season hits, the borough blocks the road at East Main Street so vehicles don’t slid down the hill. With the past winter’s late snowfalls, the road did not reopen to Main Street until about May, Vargo said.

“I don’t need someone coming into my (front) porch,” Vargo said.

Vargo and other Hill Street residents praised the borough’s public works department for efficient plowing and salting of the road so they can drive up it.

The only time the street borders on the impassable is when the snow is falling so fast that the snowplow drivers can’t make rounds fast enough to keep up, Vargo said.

In those cases, you just wait until the plows come around, said Vargo, who has a front-wheel drive vehicle and a van.

“You learn to deal with it,” Vargo said.

The wintertime closing does afford residents one advantage, Vargo said.

“In the winter, it is very quiet,” Vargo said. There are only a few houses between him and the top of the street.

Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.