LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. - Several inches of water now sits on the road at the intersection of Gettysburg and Audubon Roads. The owners of the Perfect 5th Musical Arts Center which sits on the corner of the intersection say it's been like this since the summer.
"We don't get drop-in clientele anymore because no one wants to drive through the water to see what we're all about," said Molly Shortridge, co-owner of Perfect 5th.
Lower Allen Township Manager Tom Vernau says the water sitting on top of the road is from a creek that flows underground. With all the rain the area's seen in the last year, the creek has risen more than 9 feet since October.
"Getting the water from one side of the road to the other is not just a simple matter of digging a ditch or putting a pipe in as many people have suggested to us," said Vernau. "It's going to take much more than that because when you dig, cut into the road what you're going to find is more water because it's a creek underneath there."
The long term plan is to shift Gettysburg Road and create a four-way intersection at Century and Wesley Drives. The project goes to bid in August. In the meantime, co-owners of the Perfect 5th are worried about the timeline for the project and how many more months the intersection outside their business will be filled with water and potholes.
"It made it more difficult for us to run our business and pick up new clientele," said Justin Clauser, co-owner of the Perfect 5th. "We get emails pretty frequently from students saying we are thinking about quitting because we don't feel safe driving in here."
The township has looked at short term solutions, like a temporary bridge but says that would be too costly.
