The recent worsening of a sinkhole on Route 422 in Palmyra, in the vicinity of the Sinkhole Saloon, has forced PennDOT to alter the repair and road closing plans it had previously announced.
According to PennDOT spokesperson Fritzi Schreffler, emergency repairs made in late May were expected to keep the roadway open to traffic flowing through Palmyra until July 9, but the surface continued to collapse, and PennDOT closed Route 422 last week.
The roadway will remain open to local traffic only, up to each side of the repair site.
PennDOT expects the project to be completed, and Route 422 re-opened to through traffic, by mid-August.
Until at least July 4, through traffic on Route 422 will be rerouted around Palmyra at Route 934 in Annville to the east, and at Lingle Avenue in Palmyra to the west. Detoured traffic will be directed south onto Route 322.
PennDOT hopes to make the detour a little shorter starting on July 4, by switching the detour’s west end to Route 117/South Forge Road. That was the original plan, but a sinkhole opened on that road, requiring the switch to Lingle Avenue, farther west. Partial repairs to Route 117/South Forge have been made.
Further repairs to Route 117/South Forge Road will resume on July 8, and motorists should be ready for flaggers and single lane stoppages until they are completed.
Read more: Route 422 will close to through traffic in July for Palmyra sinkhole repairs
To help elevate some of the traffic issues for Palmyra residents, a few changes to the red lights would help. Turn the light at 422 & Apple Blossom Lane to flash instead of a normal red light. This would allow the north bound traffic that wants to go straight to the theater side, a quicker flow. As of now they have to wait for a green light to cross traffic, causing a backlog on Maple St.
Also at 422 & Duke St the light should be on flash. As of now the north side barricade where the sinkhole is located, is false tripping the light on 422 to red, causing a backlog in both directions.