WEBVTT WESTMORELAND COUNTY AND WHAT’S BEING DONE TO GET IT FIXED. SHELDON: THIS IS LOWBER ROAD IN SEWICKLEY TOWNSHIP IT’S A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT ROAD IN THE AREA, BUT IT’S BEEN WASHED OUT SINCE SEPTEMBER, CAUSING MAJOR PROBLEMS FOR RESIDENTS AND THE FI DEPARTMENT. IT STARTED OUT AS A CRACK IN THE ROADWAY FOLLOWING A DESTRUCTIV FLOOD ON SEPTEMBER 10. RESIDENTS SAY ADDITIONAL RUNOFF CAUSED THE ROAD TO CRUMBLE AND THEN THEY SAY PENNDOT MADE IT WORSE TRYING TO FIX I AND NOW, IT’S A ROAD TO NOWHERE. >> IT IS JUST BEYOND FRUSTRATING THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE SEPTEMBER. >> ALMOST TOTAL DESTRUCTION. IT’S A ROAD THAT IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR USE, WHERE WE HA TO GET OUR EMERGENCY SERVICES TO OUR RESIDENTS. SHELDON: LOWBER ROAD SITS IN A RURUAL AREA NEARWEST NEWTON, BUT IT’S A MAJOR CONNECTOR USED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, SCHOOL BUSES AND RESIDENTS. A HALF-MILE DRIVE TO MAJ LANDMARKS IS NOW A SIX-MILE DETOUR. >> IT TOOK THEM OVER 18 MINUTES TO GET HERE DUE TO THE ROAD CLOSURE. SHELDON: BECAUSE THEY HAD TO TAKE THE SAME DETOUR AS EVERYONE ELSE? >> CORRECT. >> THEY STOOD HERE AND TOLD MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF, THEY DON’T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. EVERY TIME THEY WOULD FIX IT, THEY WOULD BREAK THE WATER LINE. THE WATER COMPANY WOULD COME AND BREAK THE GAS LINE. SHELDON: A PENNDOT SPOKESPERSON FOR WESTMORELAND COUNTY WAS NOT AVAILABLE TO TAKE OUR CALL, BUT KEARNS SAYS SHE WAS TOLD BY HER STATE REPRESENTATIVE THAT PENNDOT SECURED A CONTRACTOR TO START WORK NEXT WEEK THE HOPE IS THAT THE ROAD IS FIXED IN FIVE WEEK