Mudslide closes a portion of state Route 39
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EAST LIVERPOOL – Except for about 200 feet of roadway on the westbound side of the road, state Route 39 reopened around 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon following a road closure due to a mudslide earlier in the day.
Motorists were advised to stay clear of the area and avoid the portion of state Route 39 located near the state line and the Point of Beginning while the East Liverpool City Road Department worked to clear the road.
The Columbiana County Engineer's Office set up traffic signals around 11 a.m. to direct traffic through the road restricted to one lane. The traffic signals remained up and the city and police department continued to monitor the area throughout the evening in case another slide were to happen.
Dan Galeoti, department head for the road department, said crews from the department worked to clear grass away from the edge of the road to allow water to continue to run down the hillside to pool off the road and be directed toward a stream.
Due to a large gas line running under that section of the land near the road, Dominion Gas was on site to monitor as crews worked to clear the area.
SH Bell gave the city permission to dump the mud removed over the embank on the other side of the roadway to speed the process of reopening the road. This allowed crews to clear the road faster than if they would have had to load trucks and haul the dirt out.
Crews also had to cut down several trees that because of the slide had the potential to down power lines.
Motorists are advised to travel with caution through the area, as the potential for another mudslide is there and to pay attention to traffic signals put in place through the area restricted to one lane of travel.
Safety Service Director Bill Jones said, "The city thanks the Columbiana County Engineer's Office for their assistance (Wednesday) along with SH Ball and the Ohio Department of Transportation District 11."