A southbound lane of Route 28 in Harmar will remain closed until further notice due to the potential for rock slides, according to PennDOT.
Debris tumbled from a hillside onto the highway Tuesday evening between the Hulton Bridge in Oakmont and Powers Run Road in O’Hara. No one was hurt and the road is clear, but PennDOT is being cautious.
Nicole Haney, a spokeswoman for the agency, said crews will wait until the ice melts and the ground thaws to clean a basin lining the shoulder, which caught some of the rocks as they fell.
Only then, she said, will restrictions be lifted.
The Route 28 lane closure begins where the third, far right lane begins going up the hill toward Exit 10 at RIDC Drive. The closed lane reopens before the far left lane ends atop the hill, allowing two lanes of traffic to flow at all times while keeping a buffer with the hillside.
A similar incident happened nearby in 2020. Issues in this area go back even further, leading PennDOT to install catch basins, concrete barriers and, to a more limited extent, heavy chain-link fencing in 2008.
