Centralia Graffiti Highway is No More

[J3ebrules]

Another casualty of COVID and the people that ignore it - Graffiti Highway, in the razed, smoke-billowing coal fire called Centralia, PA. Apparently, its status as a tourist trap meant large gatherings congregating there. So, the owner (I had no idea it was privately owned?) covered it with dirt. Another "nice thing"  we can't have - which is a shame, because I legitimately wanted to go there myself this weekend thinking nobody else would!! 

Source: https://www.inquirer.com/news/centralia-mine-fire-graffiti-highway-pennsylvania-20200406.html

[webny99]

Yep, a true piece of history that is no more.
There was already some discussion of this here, in the Pennsylvania thread.

[Max Rockatansky]

Seems like the property owner should have put a fence up years ago instead of letting people trespass until it was inconvenient. 

[Alps]

So that's why the concrete wasn't dug up - done on the cheap because it's privately owned. Shame. Environmentally irresponsible to leave hard pavement in the ground.

[Max Rockatansky]

So that's why the concrete wasn't dug up - done on the cheap because it's privately owned. Shame. Environmentally irresponsible to leave hard pavement in the ground.

Is it even safe to rip out of the ground with all those coal fissures?

[Alps]

So that's why the concrete wasn't dug up - done on the cheap because it's privately owned. Shame. Environmentally irresponsible to leave hard pavement in the ground.

Is it even safe to rip out of the ground with all those coal fissures?

The fire has moved on.

[Max Rockatansky]

So that's why the concrete wasn't dug up - done on the cheap because it's privately owned. Shame. Environmentally irresponsible to leave hard pavement in the ground.

Is it even safe to rip out of the ground with all those coal fissures?

The fire has moved on.

I wondered about that.  My Dad and I stopped in Centralia a long time ago and back then it felt like the old highway was atop a volcanic vent. 

[jeffandnicole]

So that's why the concrete wasn't dug up - done on the cheap because it's privately owned. Shame. Environmentally irresponsible to leave hard pavement in the ground.

Is it even safe to rip out of the ground with all those coal fissures?

The fire has moved on.

I wondered about that.  My Dad and I stopped in Centralia a long time ago and back then it felt like the old highway was atop a volcanic vent. 

A few years ago my wife and I made our 2nd trip up there.  The fire had moved on. It was like a forest there.  What was once a smelly, smoky town was being reclaimed by mother nature, and trees and weeds were everywhere.  Streets were narrowed from growth thru the pavement, and the town resembled nothing from its days of what Centralia was known for.

I doubt it would ever be safe to build there again though - the mines underground are undoubtedly more unsafe than before the fires.

[kalvado]

So that's why the concrete wasn't dug up - done on the cheap because it's privately owned. Shame. Environmentally irresponsible to leave hard pavement in the ground.

not sure if that is so big of an issue. While concrete is somewhat reactive, after some time it wouldn't be much different than just from a  pile of stone under the dirt- what most of earth is anyway

[Max Rockatansky]

So that's why the concrete wasn't dug up - done on the cheap because it's privately owned. Shame. Environmentally irresponsible to leave hard pavement in the ground.

Is it even safe to rip out of the ground with all those coal fissures?

The fire has moved on.

I wondered about that.  My Dad and I stopped in Centralia a long time ago and back then it felt like the old highway was atop a volcanic vent. 

A few years ago my wife and I made our 2nd trip up there.  The fire had moved on. It was like a forest there.  What was once a smelly, smoky town was being reclaimed by mother nature, and trees and weeds were everywhere.  Streets were narrowed from growth thru the pavement, and the town resembled nothing from its days of what Centralia was known for.

I doubt it would ever be safe to build there again though - the mines underground are undoubtedly more unsafe than before the fires.

From what I can tell on the GSV it is barely recognizable from what we saw back then.  I was supposed to go back in 2014 when I visited New Jersey but the family reunion I was at went long because my brother was four hours late.  I kind of wish we had some better camera technology, I think that I still have my prints that we took. 

[Roadrunner75]

I'm glad we got to walk Graffiti Highway when we had the chance, in the summer of 2018 on our way up to Knoebel's. 

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

Can't it be uncovered? Maybe a community could get together post-epidemic and remove all the dirt. It could be a good community project since there's only 5--now 4--people there.

Oh wait, private property.

Why doesn't PennDOT reclaim it and put 61 back on there? Or reroute 61 out of Centralia and extend 42 down?

[Roadrunner75]

Why doesn't PennDOT reclaim it and put 61 back on there? Or reroute 61 out of Centralia and extend 42 down?

It's probably not worth their effort.  The now permanent bypass seems to function fine.  As for rerouting 61 along 54, Mount Carmel would probably object and I would assume PennDOT otherwise has no incentive to do so.

[Hwy 61 Revisited]

Why doesn't PennDOT reclaim it and put 61 back on there? Or reroute 61 out of Centralia and extend 42 down?

It's probably not worth their effort.  The now permanent bypass seems to function fine.  As for rerouting 61 along 54, Mount Carmel would probably object and I would assume PennDOT otherwise has no incentive to do so.

I was thinking about routing it away from Centralia, but still keeping it in Mt. Carmel. Maybe a spur could come along the old routing and encounter 54 or something.

[Roadrunner75]

Why doesn't PennDOT reclaim it and put 61 back on there? Or reroute 61 out of Centralia and extend 42 down?

It's probably not worth their effort.  The now permanent bypass seems to function fine.  As for rerouting 61 along 54, Mount Carmel would probably object and I would assume PennDOT otherwise has no incentive to do so.

I was thinking about routing it away from Centralia, but still keeping it in Mt. Carmel. Maybe a spur could come along the old routing and encounter 54 or something.

South Hickory Street / Mt. Carmel/Merriam Hwy. essentially is the route you're describing, extending out to 54 from Mt. Carmel.  That neighborhood of Mt. Carmel probably would not want the additional traffic of officially rerouting 61 onto that street. 

This patrol car hiding at the first four-way stop in town on Hickory probably already says something for the traffic that today comes barreling down through this neighborhood....

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.792737,-76.41054,3a,90y,217.55h,98.14t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sDKw-Bnxbfu2PiPOxUvRpTA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[jeffandnicole]

Can't it be uncovered? Maybe a community could get together post-epidemic and remove all the dirt. It could be a good community project since there's only 5--now 4--people there.

Oh wait, private property.

Why doesn't PennDOT reclaim it and put 61 back on there? Or reroute 61 out of Centralia and extend 42 down?

It's a small bypass around a damaged roadway.  The damage is caused by conditions dozens or hundreds of feet below the roadway.  PennDOT would be spend boatloads of money for a resolved issue.  And the single lane per direction bypass is just like the single lane per direction street that runs thru Centralia, so no harm for traffic flow.

And why would basically 4 old people want to go out to remove dirt from a roadway which basically is a tourist attraction for a bunch of unwanted visitors anyway?

[SteveG1988]

In 2018 PennDot turned it over to the private owners it has now. PennDot had ~25 years to figure something out and they decided "not worth it"

[Roadsguy]

Can't it be uncovered? Maybe a community could get together post-epidemic and remove all the dirt. It could be a good community project since there's only 5--now 4--people there.

Oh wait, private property.

Why doesn't PennDOT reclaim it and put 61 back on there? Or reroute 61 out of Centralia and extend 42 down?

It's a small bypass around a damaged roadway.  The damage is caused by conditions dozens or hundreds of feet below the roadway.  PennDOT would be spend boatloads of money for a resolved issue.  And the single lane per direction bypass is just like the single lane per direction street that runs thru Centralia, so no harm for traffic flow.

And why would basically 4 old people want to go out to remove dirt from a roadway which basically is a tourist attraction for a bunch of unwanted visitors anyway?

At most all that's needed is improvements to the now-bypass alignment to eliminate the sharp jogs at each end, and perhaps smoothing the curves near the northern end of it, but even that would likely be too expensive to be worthwhile.