Route 88 reopens in Charleroi
Roadway was closed after August trench collapse
Mike Jones
After a portion of the road collapsed three months ago, Route 88 in Charleroi was reopened to traffic last week.
The Aug. 28 collapse resulted in worker Vincenzo Lopez being trapped chest-deep in dirt for about five hours in the 800 block of McKean Avenue, also known as Route 88. Lopez, of Belle Vernon, emerged with minor injuries.
“The work is done and the road is reopened,” borough manager Joe Manning said Wednesday.
Repairs began in late November. Work included stabilizing and backfilling the gaping hole that swallowed the sidewalk and one lane of the road near the Quick Lane service center.
“They had to get into the trench and had to correct the problem that they originally excavated for, which was a repair to the sewer lateral, coming from Davies Ford to the main sewer line on McKean Avenue,” Manning said.
Route 88 was closed between Eighth and Ninth streets while repairs were made.
The trench was being dug as part of sewer line lateral repairs, but crews failed to obtain permits from the borough or state Department of Transportation to perform the work.
Charles Mrlack of Carroll Township is facing six citations from the borough. He is scheduled for a summary trial Jan. 27 before District Judge Eric Porter.
Frontier Heating and Cooling LLC, Mrlacks’ Monessen-based company, also was cited by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration for not shoring up the trench and having employees work in an unprotected excavated area. The fine associated with the citations carries a nearly $4,000 penalty, according to OSHA records.