Emergency repair at Route 30 sinkhole near Greensburg-Hempfield border wrapping up

Repair work is coming to a close at a huge sinkhole that opened up next to Route 30 at the Greensburg-Hempfield border in July after heavy rains.

PennDOT spokesman Jay Ofsanik said the emergency repairs cost about $4 million and should be finished next month. Crews reached depths of 45 feet to fix the collapsed pipe and inlet.

“The project was especially difficult due to the depth of the excavation to access the end of the pipe,” he said.

Fresh dirt covered the area Thursday after heavy machinery moved earth and worked for months next to the westbound side of the highway. The sinkhole opened up on private property next to Towne Square and Greensburg Commerce Park, which houses Dino’s and the now-closed Gander Outdoors. Downpours in mid-July resulted in flooding and at least three sinkholes around the region.

The repairs included the replacement of a stormwater pipe underneath the heavily traveled highway, Ofsanik said. Traffic was never affected. The depth at which crews were working necessitated careful preparation.

“This required a complex shoring system that was expensive and time-consuming to build,” he said. “The work inside of the shored area was slow due to the tight work conditions and depth.”

PennDOT contracted with Gulisek Construction for the work. Crews spent a couple months after the sinkhole was stabilized formulating a plan while waiting on a 60-inch steel pipe to arrive.

That pipe was pushed under the highway by Aaron Enterprises of York. Amelie Construction drilled down to an inlet that needed to be repaired and shored the trench walls.

A short portion of Towne Square Drive will be paved by next month and the grassy hillside restored, Ofsanik said.