The department quickly mobilized contractors after the wall supporting the road collapsed on Saturday.
Work will continue until repairs are completed, with work estimated to take six to eight weeks to complete.
Allentown, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that emergency work to repair and reopen U.S. 209 in Nesquehoning Borough, Carbon County, continues after a wall supporting the road collapsed on Saturday, October 31.
After the collapse, which undermined the road and forced the closure of both the road and adjacent rail line, PennDOT quickly mobilized contractors to help assess the damage and begin repair the next day.
The prime contractor, J.D. Eckman, Inc. of Atglen, PA and their sub-contractors have been working since Sunday, stabilizing the existing rock wall with wire mesh and shotcrete. This work can only be performed during the daytime, and 24/7 operations will resume once it is completed.
After this work is complete, the contractors will be able to safely install anchors, construct a replacement wall, remove the fallen rock, and begin the work to repair the road.
Also, as part of this work, on Monday, crews began evaluating the surrounding downslope conditions along Route 209 from Jim Thorpe to Nesquehoning boroughs in the closure area. The contractor will then implement any necessary repairs that are identified during this ongoing review.
Current estimates have the work taking six to eight weeks to make repairs and then open the road, with the work to reopen the railroad line to be completed earlier. Timeframes are current estimates and are subject to change.
Emergency repairs include stabilizing the existing wall, removing the fallen rock, rebuilding the collapsed portion of wall, and repairing the road.
U.S. 209 is currently closed between Route 903 and Route 93. The detour uses Route 443, Route 309, and U.S. 209.
Travelers can check conditions on major roads by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,200 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects. Subscribe to PennDOT news and find transportation results in Berks, Carbon. Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict5.
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Editor’s Note: Attached picture of specialized contractor working to stabilize the U.S. 209 rock wall with wire mesh and shotcrete.
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