Route 7 Reopened

Everyone around here already knows that Route 7 has been reopened. It happened this past Sunday evening, March 27. This is for our far flung friends from the ville, just in case you're wondering.

Just before nightfall on Wednesday, March 16, there was a huge rock slide, mainly on the southbound lanes of Route 7 just over the Jefferson County line. ODOT immediately closed off both lanes between Wellsville's Aten Avenue (Rt. 39) exit and the intersection with Rt. 213 at the Roadside Park. Before the end of week it was decided to call in specialist from New York state to take care of a threatening over hanging ledge left at the top of the hillside. ODOT had already announced that clean up couldn't possibly begin until the rocks stopped falling. Those contractors had already started moving in equipment by Friday, March 18. In the meantime ODOT rerouted traffic west bound out Rt. 39, and three other state routes, for traffic to get to Steubenville. Some said it added approximately 45 minutes to get there from here.

The private contractor began work the following Monday and the newspapers said they were working 12 hour shifts. Later that week the papers announced it could be another two weeks before that section of road would be reopened. By Friday they said that possibly the north bound lane would be reopened on Monday, March 28. By Sunday evening, March 27, all four lanes were reopened.

While the contractors were doing their thing ODOT crews took advantage of the time to clean up all along that section of highway. Rock & dirt from the slide and clean up was hauled to Silver Switch. It was added to the mound that practically filled in whole area from the time they cut back the hillside between the village and East Liverpool. That additional hillside debris can be seen in the second picture shown here.

In the first picture, on the right hand side with the lighter color dirt, is the area of the rock slide. The whole top of the hill was tapered back. The left side of that picture looks similar to what that hillside was like before the slide.

That road is pretty heavily traveled and we're sure that a lot of folks were glad when they took down the road blocks. Fortunately no one was injured in the slide.

ole nib