PennDOT says Dekalb Pike repairs will continue until next week

Repair work continues on a section of Dekalb Pike in Upper Merion Township, where a sinkhole appeared last week.

Robyn Briggs, community relations coordinator for PennDOT, said on Wednesday that PennDOT is hoping to reopen U.S. 202 sometime next week.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation closed the northbound lanes once again on Sunday when they found a dip in the initially repaired pavement. Tuesday, officials closed a southbound lane between Saulin Boulevard and Henderson Road to conduct more sinkhole assessments and repairs.

PennDOT workers discovered additional smaller sinkholes on a private property adjacent to the road.

PennDOT is working with the property owner to make repairs, but Briggs said it’s “impossible” to know immediately if the smaller sinkholes are related to the one that appeared last week.

Briggs said PennDOT excavated the roadway, and used “Flowable Fill” — a cement-based material that cannot be eroded — to fill in the main sinkhole on DeKalb Pike. The private property owner will also use the same contractor to fill their sinkholes with flowable fill.

As PennDOT crews continue with repair work, officials are advising commuters to use Henderson Road and Saulin Boulevard as a detour to access Northbound U.S. 202.