ODOT set aside $225,000 for geologists to search beneath Athens County roads.
It takes an engineer to recognize a problematic dip in U.S. Route 33’s structure, and it takes $225,000 from the Ohio Department of Transportation to find the root of the problem.
Andy Moreland, geotechnical engineer with ODOT, was driving along Route 33 last summer when he exited his car to examine the slight dip just past the Wayne National Forest. When he returned to his office, his suspicions were realized — maps would reveal a prolific history of abandoned coal mines beneath the road.
“It really doesn’t surprise me that the (mine) maps weren’t consulted before the road was built,” said Geoffrey Buckley, environmental science professor at Ohio University. “Back then, the maps weren’t always reliable — mining companies were sold, and when the new company would come in, they wouldn’t necessarily document their additional work. Sometimes the original mine cartographers weren’t thorough. So it wouldn’t be unusual that road construction companies would ignore whatever mine maps they might have access to.”
Initial underground testing to locate these mine voids began last month, a year after the dip was discovered. ODOT set aside $225,000 for geologists to search beneath Athens County roads. The department is expecting to carry out three geophysical surveys before the winter season begins.
David Rose, a spokesman for ODOT, said about $30 million of last year’s $200 million Nelsonville bypass project went toward stabilizing abandoned mines.
The mines beneath much of the Wayne National Forest were built sometime before 1917 and were closed in 1929, Buckley said. The four-lane Route 33 hasn’t had major work since the 1960s, and though 21st century-construction policy would call for a check of mine maps, ’60s policy did not.
In 1995, a sinkhole on Interstate 70 swallowed four cars near Cambridge, injuring one and causing road closures for months. The repair process cost the state $3.8 million, and ODOT geologist Paul Painter is hoping to avoid repeating history.
Though the development of a sinkhole is a possibility, Painter said there is no current threat to motorists.
“We caught the potential problem in time to do remedial work,” Painter said.
Twentieth century miners used to extract coal from beneath the Nelsonville territory, leaving empty spaces, coal pillars and wooden beams left to support the mine’s ceiling.
After nearly 100 years of deterioration, Painter said structures could quickly become dangerous if they remain unsupported and unfilled.
But abandoned mines are often filled using a process known as “grouting,” where concrete or a mix of ash, sand and gravel is pumped directly into the voids.
“We’re still in the process of assessing what the most proper form of remediation would be,” said Painter, who expects to begin extensive work on the road within the month. “We don’t have a specific timeline, we just need to conduct as thorough an assessment as possible to make sure the highway continues to hold its integrity.”
Drivers should expect to see closures and detours on Route 33 in the coming months as the ODOT and state geologists work to fill the mines and eliminate the danger.
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