PITTSTON TOWNSHIP -- A busy bridge in Luzerne County could be closed for a while.
The bridge on Suscon Road underwent repairs just nine years ago and now PennDOT says it needs to be fixed again.
"Road Closed" signs at each end of the bridge on Suscon Road went up Sunday night, and PennDOT does not know how long the bridge that crosses over Interstate 81 near Dupont will remain closed.
Brian Williams of Avoca crossed the bridge last week. He did not notice the bridge surface buckling or the hole that developed in one lane.
"I honestly have no idea what even happened," said Williams. "I'm actually kind of surprised about that."
The problem is where Suscon Road crosses I-81's northbound lane. The hole is about a foot long and five inches wide. That's enough for PennDOT to shut down the road indefinitely.
PennDOT says the bridge has structural problems and is looking to see how to fix it and how long it will take.
"It's more than just a bump in the road, that's for sure, or they wouldn't have closed it," said John Fagotti.
Fagotti lives on the section of Suscon Road that connects the Pittston area with two large industrial parks.
"A lot of traffic, and a lot of truck traffic," said Fagotti. "You've got a lot of weight behind it. You've got 80,000 pounds coming up this hill and down this hill."
Williams last crossed the bridge on Saturday and had no idea the closure was due to problems with the bridge.
"I thought it was it was up by where the tornado hit. I thought they were doing work up there, but I guess not."
PennDOT has set up a detour to reroute traffic between most of Pittston and the two industrial parks. The detour adds about three miles to the length of the trip.