JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Work on restoring the Johnstown Incline could resume in early June after the project’s mechanical engineer reviews a report from the manufacturer of the Incline’s “pulley wheels” about problems with the wheel rims and recommends an Action plan.
Cambria County Transit Authority Executive Director Rose Lucey-Noll said a report needed to identify a new path forward was due Friday.
Work on the $15 million renovation project has been halted since November after crews noticed an issue that “directly impacted” the movement of the funicular cars.
Last month, the authority announced that an independent specialist engineer had found damage to the “safety cable”, used as part of the back-up brake system. Several broken wires in the lifeline were identified and determined to have likely been damaged during construction activities.
During the inspection, concerns were raised about the hardness of the metal in the rims of the huge pulley wheels, which turn on the axles and guide the Incline’s main cables.
Expert engineers from Conroy Engineering of Pittsburgh determined that “errors occurred in the manufacturing of the main haul rims and safety sheave wheels.”
Wheel manufacturer Plant Services Group of Punxsutawney was expected to submit its wheel report by close of business Friday for review by the engineer of record, HNTB, of Kansas City, Missouri, who will then recommend a new plan of action. to be reviewed by CamTran and the state.
In addition to defining the work and materials needed, the plan will likely identify who will be responsible for additional costs.
Earlier this month, Lucey-Noll said: “The party responsible for payment will be identified once we receive the report.”
