Work is set to begin Monday on Mansion House Hill wall

Retaining wall repairs along the Mansion House Hill in Mahoning Township are scheduled to begin Monday.

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials said traffic would be reduced to one lane in both directions.

The two-lane section of Route 209 north will go down to a single lane, while the single lane of Route 209 south will be shifted away from the wall.

“The new traffic pattern is necessary to provide the contractor space to safely maneuver equipment,” Inspector-in-Charge Calvin Ulshafer said. “We intend to get this work done in a safe and efficient manner.”

Earlier this year, the southbound lane of Route 209 leading into Jim Thorpe was closed because of a deteriorating wall.

PennDOT spokesman Ron Young said that during the rock slide mitigation work back in the fall, workers noticed a section of that wall where there’s a drainage pipe that comes out and transfers the water down the hill.

It had some deterioration, so crews were inspecting it every two weeks, and saw a hole opened up in the wall on the shoulder of the roadway.

The damage, PennDOT said, is likely due to long-term erosion.

This section of Route 209 has an average daily traffic volume of 9,814 vehicles.

J.D. Eckman Inc. of Atglen is the general contractor on the project that is expected to be complete by mid-August.

A longer-term project to address rock slides on the Mansion House Hill is also expected to start later this year.

The $3 million project will include the removal of loose rocks from Flagstaff Mountain between Jim Thorpe and Lehighton, and the installation of netting.