Route 40 near Yough Lake to reopen Aug. 13
The state Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that the section of Route 40 near Yough Lake that has been closed for five weeks due to a landslide will reopen in mid-August.
The section of the highway in Henry Clay Township just west of the Yough Lake Bridge closed June 24 when the hillside collapsed and dumped dirt, rocks and trees across both lanes of the road.
Since that time, crews have been working to stabilize the hillside and remove the debris. PennDOT officials have been hesitant to give a timeline on when the road would reopen because of the amount of geotechnical work and surveying needed at the site to determine how to stop the hillside from continuing to move.
PennDOT said even after the road is expected to reopen on Friday, Aug. 13, work will continue into October as crews build a “rock fall fence” on the eastbound shoulder to protect traffic from subsequent landslides.
There may continue to be delays in the area and flaggers may direct traffic at times, but the road will remain open, PennDOT said.
That comes as welcome news to motorists and truckers who travel the area, along with many of the businesses around Yough Lake that rely on boaters to visit stores and marines in the area. The opening date will give boaters four full weekends to easily access the lake before Labor Day, which is considered the unofficial end to the season on the water.
A 30-minute detour takes traffic onto Route 281 through Confluence and onto Route 523 into Addison.