A section of South Water Street in Bellefonte is scheduled to reopen to two-lane traffic by 3 p.m. on Thursday following completion of temporary repairs to a partially collapsed wall, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
The road had been restricted to one-way traffic southbound using the northbound lane between Mill and West High streets since Nov. 12, when a portion of the wall below the road along Spring Creek collapsed. Northbound traffic was detoured onto Stoney Batter and and Route144/South Spring Street.
That detour is being lifted as PennDOT Centre County Maintenance completed work to place temporary shoring and install a rock buttress for slope stabilization. The road will remain open to two-way traffic until work on a permanent fix begins in the spring.
The sidewalk in the area, however, will remain closed until work is completed next year.
Damon Wagner, PennDOT District 2 assistant district executive for maintenance, said in November that erosion below and behind the wall from high water in the creek caused the collapse.
“Once that material was taken out, the stone, the aggregate collapsed, causing the void,” he said.
