Road officially closed
EAST LIVERPOOL — A portion of Pennsylvania Avenue Extension in East End which was closed over the weekend due to a hillside slipping has now been closed indefinitely after the slide worsened considerably.
Service-Safety Director Brian Allen ordered the portion of roadway closed Saturday when a 30- to 50-yard-long section of hillside slid down onto the roadway, causing it to shift about four feet.
Sometime between Saturday night and Monday morning, it was discovered the hill had collapsed, pushing the road down.
Allen said he had met with one Liverpool Township trustee Monday morning and, using a survey map, they determined that about 98 percent of the road is located within city limits, while the small portion where the slip occurred is located in the township.
Over the weekend, Allen had indicated city and township officials would need to determine who was responsible for the repairs, but he said Monday, “We’re not interested in fighting about it, just coming up with a solution, and we think we did today. We’re closing that portion, not the whole road.”
The hillside that collapsed is private property, so neither entity is responsible for remediation.
“It’s inconvenient for some, I respect that,” Allen said of the road closure, but said repairs to that road are not eligible for any state or federal funding.
He pointed out residents who live in that area can still use Putnam Street to reach their homes.
One home is without water due to waterlines broken from the collapse, but that is being addressed by the city water department, Allen said.