Rt. 202 NB in King of Prussia closed again due to sinkhole; drivers asked to take alternate routes
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Drivers in King of Prussia were met with an unexpected road closure and detour Thursday morning after Route 202 North was closed down due to a sinkhole on the roadway.
The road, also known as Dekalb Pike, is closed between Henderson Road and Saulin Boulevard. It is expected to remain closed until PennDOT engineers can assess the damages and repair the roadway.
Officials hope to have Rt. 202 open by this weekend.
"I had to come around here and go the wrong way, kind of behind the store and find my way to the pharmacy," said Erik Wilson.
According to a statement from a spokesperson with Pennsylvania American Water, crews responded to the area Wednesday night due to a service interruption.
"Our crew responded and was able to repair the leak and return service quickly. No other customers were impacted, and no customers are currently without water. While making that repair, our crew alerted PennDOT to possible road condition concerns that needed their attention," the statement said.
Chopper 6 was overhead as crews tackled yet another hole in this area. PennDOT officials are calling it a pavement failure.
Fill material was brought in on Thursday afternoon, which officials say needs to sit for 24 hours before concrete is poured.
Drivers are being asked to take alternate routes.
Action News spoke to some frustrated drivers.
"I don't even know how to get back on it. Every time you turn around they're doing something," said Betty Maddalo.
ALSO SEE: Another sinkhole closes Rt. 202 in King of Prussia
Another sinkhole on this same stretch of Rt. 202 opened up back in July. A water main break was discovered under the sunken pavement after a period of heavy rain, which had to be repaired twice after it started to sink again after the initial repair.
Business along the stretch of Rt. 202 hope this one isn't as bad.
"It was a monster hole out there, they had both sides all messed up," said Richard Fenstermacher of Jacoby Auto Tags. "People didn't know how to get over here."
Upper Merion Township officials say this area is more susceptible to sinkholes because of the amount of limestone in the ground.
"We're assessing the situation. We don't have all the answers right now. More investigation might be necessary. Our priority is really public safety and reopening it as soon as possible," said PennDOT District Executive Lou Belmonte.
PennDOT says they'll be investigating drainage facilities near the sinkhole to make sure they're not a part of the problem.
There has been no official word on what caused this sinkhole to open up, although according to Accuweather, three inches of rain was recorded in nearby Norristown on Sunday.
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