Road work planned for Riverside Drive following Tuesday morning’s fatal crash

Brandon Kyc
·2 min read

ATHENS TWP, Pa. (WETM) — Some roadwork is expected to be done in the coming days to help fix a large divot in the roadway along Riverside Drive in Athens Township that’s been a heightened topic of concern by residents after a car crash on Tuesday killed three people.

According to Maggie Baker, a spokesperson with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the piece of road on Riverside Drive, just north of Brown Road, has been an issue for years, first reported in 2013, and had repair work done as far back as 2015 because it sits along an embankment failure with gradual settlement.

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When asking PennDOT what is meant by gradual settlement, officials responded by saying that many different factors cause gradual settlement. The statement reads that the condition happens when surface or subsurface water causes the embankment to move related to the amount of precipitation in the area and the different soil types below the surface. Movement can occur quickly or over a longer period, and in the case of Riverside Drive, settlement over the past winter is a result of high groundwater levels over the past fall and spring in the area.

Following the crash on Tuesday, April 23, workers with PennDOT placed a bump sign, warning panels, and flashing lights at the location.

Baker said that patchwork is planned for Saturday, April 27, weather permitting, along with paving that is expected to be complete by Saturday, May 4.

PennDOT said that the patchwork on Saturday will make the area more even until the following weekend, May 4, when the larker patch will be paved to seal the entire area.

PennDOT said that crews will be monitoring the movement of the roadway every week.

18 News asked PennDOT if a divot the size of the one on Riverside Drive is enough to cause a vehicle to lose control and crash if driven over a certain way. A response was received saying that the crash is still under investigation and the details of the crash are unknown.

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