LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reopened Route 422 to traffic Wednesday afternoon in North Londonderry Township.
The highway closure was caused by sinkholes which opened up outside of the Sinkhole Saloon & Grille and Palmyra Bowling Center.
Eastbound Route 422 had been closed since August 29 while the westbound lane was shut down on September 6.
A contractor began repairing the damage in early September.
According to PennDOT, the contractor removed roughly 260 feet of roadway pavement — excavating to a depth of about five feet — before layering the area with geosynthetic material and soil, eight inches of subbase material and finally, ten-and-a-half inches of asphalt for the new pavement.
“It is an understatement to say we have problems with sinkholes in this area,” said PennDOT District 8 Executive Mike Keiser, who is responsible for state-owned highways and bridges in south central Pennsylvania. “Our challenge is to manage the situation when a sinkhole appears and protect the safety of the people who use the highway. The repair we’ve made strengthens this portion of Route 422 and makes this stretch of highway safer should sinkholes emerge in the future.”
