Charleroi addresses waterlogged road

By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com

A portion of Railroad Way in Charleroi has become a safety hazard.
During a meeting Wednesday, council reluctantly agreed to pay up to $8,200 to Mackin Engineering in hopes of finding a solution to the problem, which council worries could end up with someone hurt if it is not addressed.
Council President Mark Alterici said the slope of the borough-owned road is collecting water and damaging the back of the Davies Ford building.
During a recent rainy day visit to the area, Alterici said so much water was collected on the roadway that cars passing by were splashing through.
The nearest catch basin to the problem area is about two blocks away, near 10th Street.
There is also a catch basin in the opposite direction on Eighth Street, but it might be difficult to access, he added.
During an inspection of the area, road crew members may have found a covered catch basin, which is about 1/3 of the distance to reach, but the area will likely still have to be dug out.
“This is a decent sized job and it is a problem,” Alterici said. “We have been lucky so far.”
Council recognizes the problem, but is worried what the total project might cost.
Either way, Alterici said the borough needs to find out what needs to be done to fix the problem.
“If someone gets hurt down there, or crashes into the building, we will have a real problem,” he said.
Councilman Jerry Jericho suggested the road crew complete some of the work to offset costs, but Alterici said they do not have the necessary equipment to complete the job.

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