DRIFTWOOD BRIDGE WORK STILL STALLED

Cleanup of potentially hazardous chemicals unearthed at the site of the new Route 555 bridge in Driftwood will resume soon.

Pa. Dept. of Transportation spokesperson Marla Fannin said work on the $3.4 million bridge project remains stalled. PennDOT is soliciting bids for additional excavation and possible removal of contaminated soil.

Neumeyer Environmental Services, a Pittsburgh-based remediation firm, recently collected 11 soil samples for analysis. Results are expected next week.

Work came to a halt in March after Clearwater Construction Inc. workers discovered an unidentified noxious chemical that sent a few construction workers to the hospital as a precaution.

PennDOT called in the Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) to assess the site where contractors had excavated a small area along Route 555, near the creek.