To the Editor,

Sometime around the end of October, the City of Weirton came and put down perhaps a ton of slag on our lane. While it is indeed appreciated, as there were many ruts and ditches that needed to be filled in, an issue quickly arose, with sizeable metal shards and shavings, which were embedded in the slag.

As I walked my dog several times a day, I began picking up and keeping some of the pieces I’d happen across.

These were not small, inconsequential pieces of metal; shards of aluminum and steel, anywhere from somewhat less than an inch to several inches long. One in particular is nearly seven inches, a piece of galvanized steel with a hooked end. There were lengths of several kinds of wire, a piece of some kind of heavy, rigid mesh, and various-sized cuttings and fragments with sharp edges and points. Also present were (are) broken chunks of some kind of heavy-duty plastic. Any of these could easily damage a tire, if hit right.

I called the city about it and to their credit, they responded quickly, sending a couple of crews down, one complete with a magnet, trying to fix the problem. I’m still picking up the occasional piece here and there as they’re exposed by settling, but it’s nothing like it was.

I don’t know where the city purchased the slag. I was told it was “from an independent dealer,” but I think it probably originated on the mill grounds. At least, some mill, somewhere. That stands to reason.

I truly hope they’re inspecting it before and after they put it down. I don’t know how it was possible for the initial crew to miss it, because much of this stuff was just laying exposed, right there on top, not even partially covered.

So, if the city comes and puts down a load of slag on your road, please go out and give it a good look, just to make sure. Tires aren’t cheap, and it would be very difficult to prove it happened on your road.

Rob Denham

Weirton