Trib Thursday wrap: A closer look at Route 30 collapse

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Trib Thursday wrap: A closer look at Route 30 collapse

By Tribune-Review

1 Min Read • April 11, 2018 | 8 years Ago

| Wednesday, April 11, 2018 9:00 p.m.

Theresa Clift | Tribune-Review

Crews work at the site where a section of Route 30 collapsed in East Pittsburgh. (Theresa Clift | Tribune-Review)

The landslide that sent a section of Route 30 down an East Pittsburgh hillside last week has led to detours, possibly for months, as local and state agencies figure out how to repair the busy thoroughfare.

We’re not engineers, but it’s nevertheless distressing that more attention wasn’t focused on a section of roadway that had been sinking in the middle for years. PennDOT thought the cause stemmed from a broken pipe beneath the roadway, according to a spokesperson.

The early morning landslide would have been several times more catastrophic had it occurred during a weekday rush hour. Poor road design? Ineffectual attention to ongoing conditions? As the roadway is shored up, a closer look at exactly what led to its collapse is in order.

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