WVU’s Personal Rapid Transit is back in action, after a rockslide Feb. 10 on Monongahela Boulevard suspended service on a portion of the roadway.
During the slide, a piece of boulder hit a PRT car on the track between the Engineering and Beechurst stations.
The university stated in a release that after a week of consultation with experts and talks with the West Virginia Division of Highways, officials reopened the route — determining that while the PRT car was damaged, the track and system “did not sustain any material negative impacts and is fully operational.” A fence damaged during the incident has also been repaired.
During its review of the site, the DOH found that Monongahela Boulevard should remain open. The division is implementing two short-term measures with WVU’s cooperation:
The City of Morgantown agreed to suspend the bike path along Mon Boulevard, which also prevents parking on the shoulder.
The DOH will add Jersey barriers along the hillside and closer to the road to assist in keeping other rocks from reaching the road.
The release goes on to state, “although the university believes the PRT is safe to operate between Beechurst and Engineering, the review did find the hillside has the potential for future slides. Because experts are unable to rule out that other rock slides may occur in the future, the university has already undertaken additional analysis, including reviewing short-term and long-term solutions to reduce those risks.”
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