Photo by Christopher Dacanay Shawna Means, who resides with her brother, Jim Means, in his Logan Avenue residence, looked out their back porch at the nearby waste area for the Ohio Department of Transportation state Route 7 rockfall remediation project in June.

MINGO JUNCTION — Noticeable alterations at the Ohio 7 rockfall remediation project site indicate the multi-year Ohio Department of Transportation construction operation is nearing completion, though the project’s landscape impact will live on, to the dismay of some neighbors.

In a Jan. 31 social media post, ODOT Eastern Ohio District 11 stated, “As you travel along state Route 7 near Mingo Junction, you might observe that some containment containers are being carefully removed from the hillside. Construction on the project’s northern end is approaching its final stages, and those containers are no longer required in that area. The contractor is now redirecting their efforts to the southern end of the project.”

Since late 2023, those shipping containers have formed a catchment barrier between Route 7 and the adjacent, landslide-prone hillside that ODOT targeted for slope excavation work.

“This section of state Route 7 has been reduced to one lane since March 2020 due to a major hill slide that resulted in significant rockfall and debris,” reads the project page on ODOT’s website. “After inspecting the hillside, ODOT discovered significant geotechnical deficiencies, leading to this $23 million project.”

Construction officially began in January 2023 and has been ongoing, with the goal of mitigating slide risk and reopening Ohio 7 to four lanes. Controlled blasts have been used occasionally to excavate the hillside, with traffic on Ohio 7 temporarily stopped north and south of the project site for safety purposes.

Scheduled for completion in July, the project is being undertaken by prime contractor Kokosing, with Cast & Baker Corp. as a subcontractor.

As of Thursday, crews had dislodged and relocated 1.3 million cubic yards of debris, leaving only 20,000 cubic yards to go, according to Lauren Borell, ODOT District 11 public information officer.

Work remains focused in the site’s southern end and will continue until the affected hillside is taken back an average of 40 feet from the road, in a terraced configuration.

Borell said excavated material is being relocated to the Warrenton River Terminal in Rayland — in addition to a piece of property that lies immediately to the project site’s west. Reaching Logan Avenue, the property extends into a residential area of Mingo Junction.

Neither of the waste areas is located within ODOT’s right-of-way or owned by the state, Borell said. Although private owners have the authority to do with their property as they wish, she added, waste areas must follow some ODOT specifications to receive an ODOT engineering stamp of approval.

Prior to work beginning, all properties to be utilized by contractors outside the project work limits must be cleared for environmental resource impacts, according to ODOT’s Construction and Material Specifications.

Those resources include culturally significant structures on the National Register of Historic Places or burial sites; ecological resources such as wetlands, streams or wooded areas “with trees to be removed in excess of 8 inches (in) diameter at breast height;” certain public lands; Federal Emergency Management Agency-mapped 100-year floodplains and hazardous waste areas.

All areas outside the project’s limits proposed for use by the contractor must be reviewed by pre-qualified environmental contractors, with exceptions for maintenance project equipment parking and reuse of “clean hard fill.”

Specifications require that the Mingo Junction waste area be an “engineered fill,” Borell stated separately, adding that ODOT has “no jurisdiction over the waste area other than ensuring that applicable erosion control measures are in place and being followed.”

Since construction began, it’s drawn the ire of a few Mingo Junction residents who live near the Logan Avenue waste area.

One of those individuals is Jim Means, a lifelong Logan Avenue resident who occupies the family home his father purchased in the 1940s. Means’ property directly abuts the waste area property, and he’s watched as the latter was logged and gradually swelled into a “mountain” filled with compacted debris.

Means has approached Mingo Junction Village Council, ODOT and other entities on numerous occasions with complaints about the project and alleged practices by contractors, which he claims are disturbing his and his family’s quality of life.

His complaints have targeted Environmental Protection Agency-mandated retention ponds on the property, which he claims have been a hotbed for mosquitoes, and contractor trucks’ use of Logan Avenue.

Per an agreement between the village and contractor, Borell said, trucks may use McLister Avenue, the village’s preferred route, and Logan Avenue — a large portion of which is one-way. The agreement permits trucks to drive the opposite direction on Logan only when flaggers are present — though Means disputes the consistency of that practice.

Means also takes issue with the “constant dirt” that he claims emanates from the property and causes mud on rainy days.

“You bring the kids out to play, you’ve got to wipe everything down,” Means said June 5, adding that the dust settles on vehicles and furniture and occasionally forces him to bring his homebound sister, Shawna Means, indoors to escape the dust.

“Dust may be present due to the extensive excavation and blasting operations required for this project,” Borell said. “The contractor has a sole operator assigned to the water truck which is used diligently daily spraying water throughout the day to mitigate dust and ensure a controlled environment.”

Contractors had reportedly used 1.17 million gallons of water for dust control as of June 13.

Means also claims that routine blasts have caused items in his home to shift and fall, and they could be responsible for a “real fine crack” that appeared on his front porch over the summer, cement which has been in place for 38 years.

Homes within a 1,500-foot radius were sent letters for pre-blast surveys. Property owners who chose to participate had their properties “thoroughly inspected and documented through photographs,” Borell said, adding that seismographs monitor the hillside 24/7, as per the contract.

Village Councilwoman Patti Mannarino has been another vocal critic of the project.

Living a few doors up from Means, Mannarino said June 5 that “No one even mentioned we were going to have a new mountain in a residential area.” She’s since begun referring to the waste area as “Mount Logan.”

Means said similarly: “This should’ve never been done to a residential neighborhood. … They haven’t taken our neighborhood into consideration whatsoever.” He’s accused officials of making concessions on conditions that would normally be unacceptable because “It’s ODOT. It’s for roads.”

In accordance with ODOT’s environmental process, Borell said, the project had a 30-day commenting period, initiated with a web release Feb. 8, 2022. Additionally, she said, ODOT sent property owners notification letters soliciting comments and posts any environmental process findings on the project’s website.