STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- A busy street off Interstate 80 in Stroudsburg is closed, and finding a way around it is confusing for some drivers.
A good chunk of Ann Street has been closed since Monday. Borough officials had to close a section of the street for emergency sewer repairs. The repairs are due to a lot of cracks that were found in a sewer pipe that needed to be repaired immediately.
Officials hope to have the work done within a week or two.
Yolanda Francis works at First Keystone Community Bank on Main Street in Stroudsburg. Her commute from her home in Bartonsville to work got a little longer this week.
"Now, instead of going straight down Lennox and to Park Avenue here and coming up Ann, I have to kind of go over the bridge, down Main Street, and into the back way into the bank parking lot to get to the parking garage, so it's a little bit out of the way," said Francis.
Stroudsburg borough officials say a sewer pipe is to blame for the closure.
Brian Ace, director of public works, says they found cracks and deterioration to one of the pipes and they couldn't wait much longer to fix it. Repairs could take between one week to two weeks.
"We just don't know what we are going to run into every day. Every day is a challenge," Ace said.
Borough officials say the goal is to have Ann Street open on weekends because a lot of drivers use this stretch and park in a nearby parking lot.
Stroudsburg United Methodist church owns the parking lot. The pastor says the borough let them know ahead of time about the closure and issues with parking.
"It's not a big parking lot, but it really helps. When we don't have it or when we can't use it to its full capability, it makes it difficult for us, but we know it's important work. We know it's going to help us down the road too to avoid any other problems," said Pastor Bob Shank.
"We never want to keep any roads closed for any long periods of time, but with a project like this, we are left with no choice. We just have equipment scattered, pumps out. We don't really have much of a choice here," Ace added.
Borough officials hope to open Ann Street on weekends, but during the week, they are asking drivers to use another route.