Rt. 202 reopened in King of Prussia following sinkhole repairs; Rt. 29 closed in East Whiteland Twp.

Rt. 29 closed in both directions for sinkhole, pipe repair in East Whiteland Township

Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Rt. 29 remains closed as sinkhole repairs continue
Rt. 29 remains closed as sinkhole repairs continue

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Route 202 in King of Prussia is back open Tuesday morning, except for one southbound lane, after crews repaired multiple sinkholes. However, both directions of Rt. 29 in East Whitleand Township are now closed for similar repairs.

The northbound section of Dekalb Pike was closed on Thursday morning, following the discovery of a sinkhole just north of Henderson Road. Then, the southbound section was closed Friday evening after crews found a new sinkhole underneath the southbound travel lanes.

One northbound lane was reopened Saturday night between Henderson Road and Saulin Boulevard. Then repair work was put on hold Sunday due to heavy wind and rain but was able to resume Monday once the region began to dry up.

"Just be patient, let those guys work, and let it get done," suggested Sal Misseri, of King of Prussia.

A spokesperson for PennDOT told Action News on Sunday, "The flowable backfill requires 24 hours to cure. The work site was secured last night. We have heavy rain forecasted and thus will not be able to proceed with further repairs until sometime tomorrow."

The right lane on southbound Rt. 202 between Saulin Boulevard and Henderson Road will remain closed until additional pavement repairs can be performed.

"I feel bad for the businesses along 202 that people can't get in and out, and it's Christmas time and shopping is tough as it is and traffic is always tough around here and I just feel bad for them," said Joanne Boyk, of King of Prussia.

A separate 20-foot sinkhole has shut down both directions of Route 29 in East Whiteland Township.

According to PennDOT, crews were doing some pipe replacement work on Morehall Road near Atwater Drive on Monday evening when they noticed that one of the pipes was no longer connected to the system.

Drivers are being directed to use Phoenixville Pike, Route 401 (Conestoga Road), and Swedesford Road. Access will remain for Pennsylvania Turnpike entrance.

Rt. 29 will remain closed until PennDOT engineers can further assess the extent of the damage and develop a plan to fully repair and safely reopen the highway, PennDOT officials said in a press release.

Drivers in the area should plan alternate routes. You can get real-time traffic updates at: https://6abc.com/traffic.