Freeport Road to remain closed until further notice in aftermath of Harmar derailment

Freeport Run Road will remain closed between the Hulton Bridge and Guys Run Road through the rest of the week or possibly longer, officials said.

Allegheny Valley Regional Emergency Management Agency coordinator Bruno Moretti said the tank cars have been offloaded and emptied. The focus is on cleaning up and getting the product out of the water, he said.

“The road is closed until cleanup is done,” Moretti said.

The train derailment occurred shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday, May 26. Three people were hospitalized after a heavy-construction vehicle carrying stone collided with a Norfolk Southern train near the sewage treatment plant in Hamar.

Freeport Road was closed in both directions for cleanup. Traffic is being detoured to Powers Run Road/Fox Chapel Road on the O’Hara (downriver) side and to Guys Run Road on the Harmar side, according to PennDOT. Traffic crossing the Hulton Bridge from Oakmont is being directed toward O’Hara.

The last of the derailed Norfolk Southern cars was removed Sunday morning. Crews discovered Saturday night that one of the tankers had been leaking petroleum distillate since the derailment. As crews removed the rail car, they discovered the bottom valve was damaged, officials said.

Moretti said all of the product that leaked remains contained in boom areas. The booms help to keep the distillate from flowing into the Allegheny River.

In the meantime, Moretti asks people to not trespass in the area to avoid endangering themselves and slowing progress for the crew. The area is still hazardous, he said.

“There is not a picture worth getting hurt or worse. There is too much equipment here,” Moretti said.