Portion of Route 202 near King of Prussia mall remains closed due to sinkhole, but could reopen Wednesday evening
The closure runs in both directions on Route 202 as crews work to both stem a water main break and then patch the sinkhole.
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The portion of Route 202 near the King of Prussia Mall that was damaged by a huge sinkhole will remain closed Wednesday morning, but could be reopened by the evening commute, a PennDot spokesperson said.
The closure in both directions began 8 p.m. Monday after a sinkhole cratered a portion of East DeKalb Pike between Henderson Road and Saulin Boulevard in Upper Merion Township. Traffic was being detoured as crews worked to repair a broken water main under the road, and then the road itself.
It was unclear what actually caused the sinkhole because heavy rains on Sunday could have undermined the roadway and caused the water main break, said PennDot spokesperson Brad Rudolph.
The water main was repaired and local water service was restored around 2 p.m. Tuesday, said Kara Rahn, spokesperson for Pennsylvania American Water.
Crews working for the water utility were conducting fill-work to rebuild the roadway and could begin work on a 10-inch layer of asphalt Wednesday morning, Rudolph said.
After the asphalt is set, PennDot hopes to have all lanes reopened by late afternoon or evening, Rudolph said.
The asphalt is temporary, and at some later time, PennDot will return to build a permanent concrete replacement for the damaged roadway.
This is not the first sinkhole to sprout in Upper Merion: Just last month, one opened about a mile away that closed Crooked Lane for a week as crews worked on repairs.