Blasting began Thursday in West Deer
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Some residents in West Deer heard a siren and a blast Thursday around 1 p.m.
They’ll have to get used to the commotion — at least until Weaver Homes finishes excavating part of the Ridgewood Heights housing plan.
For an estimated three weeks, contractors will set off a charge every other weekday at 11 a.m, weather permitting. There will be no blasting on weekends. Crews will block traffic for about two minutes each time blasting is scheduled.
Located near the intersection of Cedar Ridge Road and Cedar Ridge Road Extension, the site contains bedrock that can’t be removed using conventional excavation methods, according to Brett Schultz, Weaver Homes vice president of development.
Weaver Homes hired licensed blasters from Wampum Hardware to excavate the area, in accordance with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection regulations.
Blasting involves drilling a series of holes, filling them with explosive charges and then detonating those charges, fracturing the surrounding rock.
West Deer warned residents about the blasts on Facebook on Thursday morning, but Assistant Manager Joseph Shook said the township’s role will otherwise be limited.
“We’re not responsible for really any enforcement,” Shook said. “We’re just coordinating with the developer as far as timing and how long they’re going to occur, trying to limit impact on residents, traffic — that kind of thing.”
Schultz said the blasts are scheduled at a time that won’t snarl morning rush hour traffic or cause unwelcome wake-up calls.
He described the blasts as quieter than “a large firework” and “far less dramatic than the word ‘blasting’ may imply.”
“It’s not a Wile E. Coyote cartoon or anything like that,” Schultz said.