A stretch of U.S. 209 that links Tamaqua and Jim Thorpe could stay closed until mid- to late December after a wall holding up the highway collapsed in Nesquehoning on Saturday.
PennDOT says US 209 is closed between Route 903 and Route 93 in Nesquehoning Borough, Carbon County. The detour uses Route 443, Route 309, and US 209.
The collapse undermined the road and forced the closure of both the highway and the rail line beside it, PennDOT said.
Emergency repairs started Sunday morning. They will go on 24/7 until the job is done. PennDOT estimates the work will take six to eight weeks before the road can reopen. The rail line is expected to reopen sooner. The department says those timeframes are estimates and could change.
J.D. Eckman, Inc. of Atglen is the contractor. Crews will stabilize the existing wall, remove the fallen rock, rebuild the collapsed section of wall, and repair the road.
The closure affects a main route for Schuylkill County drivers heading east from Tamaqua and Coaldale through Lansford and Nesquehoning toward Jim Thorpe. It also affects drivers coming into Schuylkill County from that direction.
Drivers can check road conditions at www.511PA.com.
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