Sinkhole's threat continues to grow

A growing sinkhole at a Beaver County shopping plaza that destroyed a restaurant is threatening to undermine another eatery and a nearby highway, officials warn.

PennDOT plans in the next few weeks to have engineers test Route 65, and is considering reinforcing a hillside along the road in East Rochester, said agency spokesman Jim Struzzi.

Neither the county nor East Rochester — which has a population of about 600 — needed to fix the sinkhole, which officials believe was caused by the collapse of a water drainage system about 60 feet underground, said Wes Hill, the county's director of emergency services.

"There is a culvert that runs under the road that is clogged. The water has to be going somewhere, which is a risk," Struzzi said.

Ten months after the state Department of Environmental Protection ordered seven entities involved to fix the problem, borough and county officials wonder who will pay the estimated $1 million cost.

"There's a lot of finger-pointing going on, and the hole just keeps getting bigger and bigger. It's the Grand Canyon of Beaver County," said Beverly Block, a lawyer who represents the owners of the former Evergreen restaurant, which was demolished in January 2008.

The hole was 10 feet wide and 10 feet deep 18 months ago. It now stretches 100 feet across and 70 feet deep.

"It will probably be less than a year before Pizza Hut gets swallowed up," said Beth Slagle, a lawyer who represents Aurora Huts, the owner of the restaurant in East Rochester Plaza. "This danger is real and imminent."

Hill said the sinkhole also threatens the highway, Norfolk Southern Railroad and utility lines in the area.

"It is growing quickly, and I am very worried about spring rains," he said.

John Drumm, council president in East Rochester, said the borough already has spent too much money — $70,000 — on the sinkhole.

"We had the fence put around it and paid for part of the demolition of the Evergreen restaurant. This will just cost more, the more it is delayed," he said.

Council recently sent a letter to Gov. Ed Rendell asking for state help. Hill said he expects a meeting with state officials in the next several weeks.

The DEP's order in May targeted PennDOT, the railroad, Pizza Hut and the former owners of the Evergreen. DEP spokeswoman Helen Humphreys could not be reached for comment.