December 19, 2023
Greater Philly Area PennDOT/Facebook
Two northbound lanes and one southbound lane on Route 202 in King of Prussia have reopened. One southbound lane remains closed.
Route 202 in King of Prussia has mostly reopened after pavement repairs, PennDOT announced Tuesday. Lanes were closed this past weekend after the discovery of multiple sinkholes.
One sinkhole closed Dekalb Pike's northbound lanes in the area Thursday morning, and the discovery of a second sinkhole late Friday evening closed the southbound lanes. Those lanes are now open, except for the right southbound lane between Henderson Road and Saulin Boulevard, which remains closed for further repairs. PennDOT did not have a definitive answer on when the road would reopen.
Additionally, Route 29 (Morehall Road) in East Whiteland Township closed in both directions yesterday due to the discovery of another sinkhole and pipe damage. The closure is between General Warren Boulevard/Atwater Drive and Great Valley Parkway.
Heavy rain and flooding slowed down efforts to repair the lanes. A portion of Route 202 closed due to sinkholes back in July, making this the second time in the past half-year that such a closure has occurred on the road.
Much of King of Prussia sits on karst, or land made of limestone that is prone to sinkholes, which can form when water erodes the underlying bedrock. PennDOT told PhillyVoice that the water infiltration that caused the most recent sinkholes is from a water main, but the authority is still investigating exactly what happened. A water main break caused the sinkhole issues in July.
While Route 29 remains closed, PennDOT recommends drivers use Phoenixville Pike, Route 401 (Conestoga Road) and Swedesford Road instead.
