Montgomery County issued an update today in regards to the status of the closure of Butler Pike in Plymouth Meeting. The portion between Germantown Pike and Plymouth/Flourtown Roads has been closed due to a sink hole since August of 2018.

The update is that the closure is expected to end by mid April. Below is the update from the county:

The County has received and reviewed the full report of its contracted geotechnical engineering firm and can execute temporary repairs to Butler Pike that will enable the road to be re-opened by mid-April 2019.

Emergency repairs to stabilize the ground beneath the roadway after a large sinkhole developed in August 2018 were completed and succeeded in stabilizing the washout area. Natural gas, electric, and telecommunication utilities that run underground through the area were also stabilized, preventing further hazardous damage to the utility pathways.

The geotechnical analysis confirmed that with repairs to the road surface, waterproofing to the surrounding support structures, and redirection of stormwater runoff, the underlying geologic material will support the safe passage of vehicular traffic. The County is currently aligning construction resources towards completing the work and re-opening the road in April.

The permanent repairs to Butler pike will still require intensive design and construction work to complete. Underground utility lines and the surrounding stormwater discharge areas will need to be reconfigured and will require coordination with numerous independent companies to develop a design plan for the full reconstruction work. The overall design process is expected to take eighteen months before work on the permanent road reconstruction can begin. We expect the road to remain open during construction.

We will continue to provide status updates to the Township and residents as we work to re-open the road and make the permanent repairs.