Rock removal project closure clarified

A rock removal project on the Mansion House Hill between Lehighton and Jim Thorpe will only result in a full road closure from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the exception of major holidays, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials confirmed Monday.

All lanes of Route 209 from Flagstaff Road to Race Street will be closed during that time.

Social media posts had indicated the road would also be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

On Monday, PennDOT spokesman Ron Young said that is not the case.

“One lane in each direction will be open outside of 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, barring any unsafe conditions,” Young said. “Once construction starts, the northbound right lane on Route 209 will be shut down for the duration of the project.”

Drivers will be able to access the Bagel Bunch on the Mahoning Township side, and Turkey Hill, Highland Beverage, etc. on the Jim Thorpe side.

Road-Con Inc., the contractor on the job, plans to start construction in mid-April, but an exact date has yet to be determined.

The project entails rock slide mitigation, installing protective wire mesh on the mountain, and drainage improvements at various locations along Route 209.

During the full closures, traffic will be detoured on Packerton Dam Road, Hemlock Drive, Route 902, South Ninth Street, Route 443, Route 209, Harrity Road, Fairyland Road, Long Run Road, Maury Road and Route 903.

Ameritech Slope Contractors, one of the only companies in the country that handle this type of work, will perform the rock scaling operation.

“We’ll send guys up to get ahead on clearing the vegetation,” said Todd Reccord of Ameritech, at a meeting in Allentown earlier this month. “We plan on being there daily for a 7:30 a.m. safety meeting. When 8:31 a.m. hits, that first rock will hit the ground so we can make the most use of our time.”

Ameritech will have three crews of scalers, totaling nine men, who will rappel down on ropes with 4-foot pry bars, checking cracks along the way.

“Those bars can move a lot of rock,” Reccord said. “We won’t push overwhelming amounts down at a time as to not bust the road up. Once we clear a section and get approval from the engineer, we’ll move on down the hill. Everything coming down will be behind the barrier.”

A number of fracture zones need to be checked, officials said. All of the fractures will be investigated to determine whether or not the rock there needs to come down.

At least 500 rock anchors will be put in place, but the number could grow depending on what is discovered.

The contract completion date is May 12, 2020.