[ad_1]
PLYMOUTH MEETING – A sinkhole shut down a stretch of Plymouth Road Friday afternoon, with the closure expected to last through early next week, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
A portion of the roadway collapsed on Friday, and the closure, between Butler and Germantown pikes, was imposed before 2 p.m., according to PennDOT Community Relations Coordinator Robyn Briggs. The “dip in the roadway” was estimated to span 15-by-15 feet.
“The whole roadway is closed in both directions, but local access will be able to get through,” Briggs told MediaNews Group.
PennDOT crews are expected to investigate the sinkhole on Monday, and Briggs anticipated the thoroughfare to be closed through Tuesday. Plymouth Road connects to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Blue Route, or Interstate 476, with around 9,700 vehicles traveling along the stretch of road each day, according to Briggs.
“They never know what’s going on until they open the roadway,” Briggs said, of the repair crews.
While rain and snow has impacted the area over the past few weeks, the circumstances leading up to this particular sinkhole were unclear.
“It’s an area that is known for sinkholes. So unfortunately this has occurred again,” Briggs said.
Sinkholes have occurred throughout the region. A stretch of Route 202 in Upper Merion Township was closed on several occasions. Weather also played a role in the reopening of the road in July 2023.
Similar situations have occurred on major thoroughfares in Philadelphia, as well as Montgomery and Chester counties, per state transportation officials. To that end, the agency expressed intentions for a “geophysical investigation for this area,” according to PennDOT Deputy Communication Director Brad Rudolph, referring to sinkhole issues in King of Prussia.
“Obviously, this stretch is susceptible to sinkholes. It’s no secret … the limestone is not ideal to build on top of these roadways,” Rudolph told MediaNews Group back in July. “We’ve seen them in many different areas of this one, which just happens to be where it just happened in July. So they’re going to use certain methods including ground penetrating radar … to look for additional voids to see if there’s anything else we can do or uncover.”
Briggs agreed, noting that “all the sinkholes that occur in this area, limestone is a factor.”
PennDOT officials urged motorists to pack their patience, “allow for extra time” and be mindful of crews while traveling through the area.
[ad_2]
Source_link
