Wolf recognizes local employess for work on April 2018 landslide

PennDOT employees from Allegheny County were honored Monday for their work in quickly reopening Route 30 after a portion of the road in East Pittsburgh plummeted about 40 feet down a steep hill in April 2018.

The 10 employees were awarded the Governor’s Awards for Excellence for “exemplary service to the commonwealth,” according to a release from Gov. Tom Wolf.

“Route 30 was reopened in less than two months — under normal circumstances, a project of that magnitude would have lasted two to three years,” the statement said.

Those PennDOT employees recognized were:

• Jacqueline Evans, district right of way administrator
• Michael Adams, district maintenance operations engineer
• Michele Acitelli, district utility manager
• Robert Byrnes, project scheduler
• Jonathan Moses, district geotechnical engineer
• John Myler, assistant construction manager
• Jeffrey Powell, district right of way administrator and project manager
• Steve Reyes, transportation construction manager 1
• Dina Salemi, contract and consultant agreement engineer
• Douglas Thompson, principal assistant construction engineer

The slide occurred around 6 a.m. April 7, 2018, after a wall above Route 30 broke in East Pittsburgh. The road is used by about 21,000 vehicles per day, according to PennDOT data, and is located between Forest Hills and the Westmoreland County line.

The landslide led to the collapse of three lanes, displaced more than 30 people and destroyed two apartment buildings and a house.

“I am thrilled that the District 11 team is getting this recognition for their commitment to not only reopening the roadway, but also ensuring that those affected by the slide had the essential supplies and shelter they needed,” PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards stated. “I am so proud of this team — their dedication is truly astounding.”

The road reopened in late June 2018.

Eight commonwealth agencies were recognized by Wolf Monday, including the Department of Corrections, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Labor and Industry, the Department of Revenue and Pennsylvania State Police.