Leaders with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) said a large segment of Route 322 near Cochranton Borough in Crawford County should be open this week by end-of-day Tuesday.
The portion was originally closed on Dec. 27 because of slide damage. An embankment was soaked with groundwater, loosened the soil and caused a slide, damaging the road. It undercut a significant portion of Route 322; the entire damaged portion was 250 feet long.
The road was closed from East Fairfield Township’s Townhall Road (Route 2005) to Wayne Township’s Route 173.
Now that crews have finished the work, the road should be completely reopened to regular traffic flow by Tuesday night. The crews had to clean the site and remove the pavement that the embankment no longer supported. They also excavated the scene, improved the drainage, backfilled the hole, placed new pavement and built a new road base.
Because of weather restrictions, the crews with Horizon Construction Group used a temporary concrete surface. Later this spring, they will install permanent road-surface pavement.
The funding for the project came from the state, which decided the emergency situation warranted the expenditure.
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