© Earl Brightbill — Lebanon Daily NewsA front end loader is used to fix a sinkhole on South Grant Street south of Cherry Street in Palmyra on Monday. Borough officials believe the new sinkhole may be connected to a hole that opened at a nearby property in the past few weeks ago.
On Monday, borough crews worked on filling a new sinkhole that was reported during the weekend in an alley along the 300 block of East Cherry Street between South Harrison and South Grant streets. Crews also were patching a sinkhole about two feet in diameter that reopened on South Grant Street on Friday, according to a borough official.
The latest sinkhole was reported Sunday in an alley next to 320 E. Cherry St., borough manager Roger Powl said. He believes it may be connected to a sinkhole that opened on that property at the rear of the house two or three weeks ago.
"It's probably the same hole. It's just getting larger," he said. "It's about the diameter of a basketball."
In October, three large sinkholes opened in the same block of East Cherry Street between the alley and South Grant Street, forcing the evacuation of several families. Residents have been concerned that sinkholes will migrate.
With the recent rain showers, Powl said, it's not unusual to have sinkholes open in Palmyra. For now, the borough is doing just a temporary fix on the sinkholes.
"We're doing a temporary fill with clay and millings in order to keep water out," he said.
© Earl Brightbill — Lebanon Daily NewsFill lies atop a sinkhole on Monday after the hole opened on the property of Tara Hogarth at 320 E. Cherry St. in Palmyra.
Powl said ARM Inc. is expected to finish its study this week. The borough expects to receive the study results within a week to 10 days. Until the study is completed, he said, it doesn't make sense to do more than a temporary fix.
Meanwhile, work on another sinkhole - this one in Derry Township, not far from Palmyra - was postponed because of rain Monday. Crews are expected to start work Tuesday. PennDOT had planned to start repairs on the sinkhole along Route 422 near East Derry Road.
PennDOT spokesman Greg Penny said maintenance crews noticed a depression in the roadway about a year ago.
"It had been stable until a few weeks ago," he said.
The pavement dropped a few inches in the past few weeks, which prompted crews to go out and excavate the area and determine the extent of the problem, he said. The depression is along the eastbound lane, but it appears to extend into the westbound lane.
"It's not much of a problem for cars, but the dip is more apparent with trucks," he added.
The repair operation is expected to start soon after 7 a.m. and will affect both directions of the morning commute, according to a PennDOT news release. The traffic signal at the intersection will be placed on flash, and flaggers will assist motorists through the work area.
Traffic delays are expected, the release continues. About 15,375 vehicles travel on this portion of Route 422 on a daily basis.
Drivers are advised to seek alternate routes or allow additional time in order to avoid delays. Drivers are also asked to slow down when approaching and driving through the work zone.
PennDOT crews first need to excavate and determine the size of the sinkhole, the release states. Depending on this determination, the repair work may take most of the day to complete.
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