Landslide closes McArdle Roadway for 3 hours

A landslide temporarily closed PJ McArdle Roadway on Tuesday between the Liberty Tunnel and Grandview Avenue.

Mud and rock slid across the road about 9:30 a.m., authorities said. Police closed McArdle in both directions to allow city public works crews to remove the debris. The road reopened about 12:45 p.m.

No one was hurt. The slide happened about halfway up the road to Mt. Washington.

Most of the debris piled up behind a retaining wall, Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto, said. Public works employees spent most of the morning clearing the debris from behind the wall.

Past landslides have shut down the road for days, weeks or months. A landslide in December 2012 closed the road of a few weeks. When more than 100 tons of debris slid onto the road in January 2012, it cost the city $700,000 and took until April to clear the mess and reopen the road.

Storms on Monday and Tuesday morning dropped nearly an inch of rain, likely causing the slide, according to the National Weather Service. More rain is expected throughout the week and into the weekend, the weather service said.

Aaron Aupperlee is a staff writer for Trib Total Media.