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After Long Wait, Repairs Coming to Collapsed Road

MEHOOPANY — A project to fix a busy road that started collapsing more than four years ago in Wyoming County is expected to start. The work is expected to ...

MEHOOPANY -- A project to fix a busy road that started collapsing more than four years ago in Wyoming County is expected to start.

The work is expected to take a few months, and during that time, there will be an on-and-off detour stretching nearly 20 miles. But those we spoke with are just glad to see the Route 87 repair project finally get done.

Almost half of Route 87 near Mehoopany is gone. The collapse of nearly an entire lane began more than four years ago. Drivers have waited a long time to see this repaired.

"It's been since the flood of '11 since it's been so bad, but it was a hole before that," said Sandra McGavin.

"You worry about it caving in, that's the thing," said Louis George.

Drivers have had to deal with a traffic light in a rural location because there's only one lane open.

"It's a pain in the neck," said Doreen Schrickel.

"It's been awful," added Lori Hains. "We feel like no one cares about us because we're in such a rural area. Everyone went through so much in the flood and they just dropped the ball.

PennDOT says after a long wait to get the $1 million in funding, the plan is to start the project Monday evening to repair this collapse and put in proper drainage to make sure it doesn't happen again.

That could take a few months. This week and at some other times during the project, Route 87 in this area will be closed, with a detour in effect for a road that heads to Proctor and Gamble, one of the biggest employers in our area.

"I work at P&G and I'll have to go up over the mountain, and if it snows, that's not going to be fun," Schrickel said.

When the "Road Closed" signs go up on Route 87, the official detour set up on state roads by PennDOT will be about 20 miles, but the locals know some shortcuts.

"There's a lot of side roads so we can get around it. We're just grateful it's getting fixed," said Hains.

PennDOT asks for patience dealing with this project but for many drivers, a few months of work is nothing compared to a few years dealing with a crumbling road.

"We won't know how to act when it's fixed," said McGavin.

While people familiar with the area will be taking some shortcuts to avoid the long detour, PennDOT does have an official detour that is safe for tractor trailers and other big trucks. Some of those side roads are off limits to them.

The project is expected to last three months.

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