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Hole Closes I-80 Ramp

A section of road in Monroe County is closed after part of it fell apart. It doesn’t appear weather damaged a ramp that merges onto busy Interstate 80. Th...

A section of road in Monroe County is closed after part of it fell apart.

It doesn't appear weather damaged a ramp that merges onto busy Interstate 80.

The "Ramp Closed" sign in Delaware Water Gap says it all and is adding to drivers' frustrations.

PennDOT officials said they had no choice but to close the ramp that connects Delaware Water Gap to Interstate 80 west after a hole was found in the middle of the ramp.

""Horrible. Horrible. I hate having to do detours, especially since he's going to take over driving," said Michelle DeFrancesco of Buffalo, New York.

Once it was discovered, PennDOT crews came out, shut down the ramp and patched it up.

Crews filled the hole with steel mesh and concrete for a temporary fix.

Once PennDOT crews got finished fixing the hole, which ended up being about six feet long.

Now the ramp is closed, causing some confusion for drivers wanting to leave Delaware Water Gap, hop on the ramp and then head west on Interstate 80.

"We've been driving for almost two hours now and I still have to go another six, seven, with the baby. So to have to go all the way around and into a detour, it's just going to add on, gosh only knows how many more minutes. Hours," DeFrancesco added.

The closed ramp is also turning the welcome center nearby into traffic control.

Officials at the welcome center said a folder holding detour information is kept close by for confused drivers.

"We have a detour all set up for that, believe it or not, because often there is either construction or exit ramps are closed due to accidents or whatever," said Kathy Kehley of the Keystone Welcome Center.

PennDOT officials said the road should be open by mid-week, but have called engineers in to inspect what they consider to be a deteriorating ramp.

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