Trending
By STEPHANIE ELVERD
Staff Writer
EAST PALESTINE -- Nearly eight months after the Norfolk Southern train derailment closed Taggart Street, plans to reopen the road in three phases were announced on Thursday
Phase I is set to begin on Monday. Taggart Street will remain closed during daytime operations, from 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Overnight, East Taggart Street will be opened in both directions for all traffic to pass through the worksite. Safety controls (signage, reduced speed, flaggers) will remain in place.
Phase II is slated to go into effect Oct. 23. Following the conclusion of major excavation and soil removal activities, traffic on East Taggart Street will reopen in both directions all day. Periodic traffic stoppage of up to 15 minutes or more should be expected during daytime working hours to allow for truck traffic entering and leaving the clean-up site.
Phase III is expected to be implemented by the end of the year. As the project continues with confirmation soil sampling, East Taggart Street will continue to be open to traffic in both directions all day, with intermittent traffic stoppages. This is anticipated to continue through the first quarter of 2024 remediation continues.
The closure of Taggart Street has been a major point of contention in the village. As a main vein into Pennsylvania, Taggart brings shoppers and other patrons from the neighboring state. Village businesses have reported a dip in out-of-state commerce, while businesses located on East Taggart have seen a steep dive in overall revenue. Those who commute to or from Pennsylvania have voiced annoyance in the detour which sends travelers around the village to state Route 14. Residents have also expressed frustration with the street closing, citing inconvenience.
The closing of Taggart Street was considered a matter of public safety. Heavy equipment associated with the remediation and cleanup efforts, including the transporting of contaminated waste out of the village via trucks, led to heavy traffic. Allowing local traffic during those efforts would have led to increased potential of accidents. Village safety officials ultimately decided to close the street off from the public. Traffic on the closed portion of East Taggart Street-- from east of North Pleasant Drive to the Ohio-Pennsylvania border -- has consisted of an average of 75 to 100 trucks per day.
The Environmental Protection Agency reported that since "the cleanup work has progressed, the Unified Command has determined that East Taggart Street can be safely opened in the overnight hours. This initial reopening will still include the presence of safety signs, lights, flagging personnel, site security, access controls and associated equipment, with continued air monitoring of the project for environmental safety." The agency also reported that "although there are no anticipated health risks along East Taggart Street associated with project activities, the potential for cleanup-related odors may exist and "as work proceeds, to ensure worker and community safety, the Unified Command will continue to evaluate site conditions for health and safety considerations."
Access into active work areas will remain restricted to ensure public safety.
Earlier in the week, the village's East Palestine Information social media page announced that, beginning Sept. 25, North Pleasant Drive will be closed from East Martin to East Taggart for approximately 10 days. The closure will allow for sheet piling installation and excavation of contaminated soil under the road. Trucks that currently use North Pleasant for off site shipments will be re-routed to East Martin to the James Street railroad crossing. Area residents will notice increased truck traffic along the temporary route. The road will be restored once the work is completed.
Also on Thursday, the EPA reported that soil excavation and backfilling work at Car Scrapping Area 3 has been completed -- backfilling occurs after sampling results are used to clear excavated grids and indicates that contaminated soil has been removed -- and the remaining work to be done in that area is the restoring a stormwater culvert.
selverd@mojonews.com