CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha County Commission remains concerned about a hillside connected to multiple road blockages.
Crews began working on the hillside near Blue Creek Road in April following complaints of rock slides blocking access to the homes of 500 residents. The commission threatened legal action against property owner Columbia Gas Transmission LLC if the company refused to act.
“The people who lived up there could see a problem,” Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said during the commission’s meeting last week. “There were rocks falling on them, and on Christmas Eve, you’re trapped.”
The commission hired S&S Engineers Inc. of Charleston to ensure the hillside is no longer a public threat. According to the firm, Columbia Gas Transmission has completed approximately 50% of its work.
“They provided a set of plans Sept. 30,” Jessie Parker Jr., the president of S&S Engineers, told the commission. “We’ve sat down and reviewed those plans. … They’ve decided to slope the entire site back, chasing it up the mountain.”
Parker said it is reviewing geotechnical reports and waiting for a slope reliability analysis to determine if such action is appropriate.
“You’ve got to try to protect the citizens up there,” Carper said. “The state’s not going to do it. The federal government’s not going to do it.”
The commission requested S&S Engineers send a letter to Columbia Gas Transmission concerning the sloping plans.