A Forward Township road will close indefinitely Friday after motorists started ignoring a traffic signal that was placed there after a landslide, according to PennDOT officials.
Bunola River Road will close at about 10 a.m. between Pangburn Hollow Road and Third Avenue.
A temporary traffic signal was placed there in early December to monitor motorists after a landslide affected the road. Department spokeswoman Yasmeen Manyisha said a number of vehicles did not adhere to the light, increasing the risk for crashes.
Bunola River Road runs along the Monongahela River south of Elizabeth, eventually connecting with Routes 136 and 906, which lead into Webster and Rostraver in Westmoreland County.
There is no timeframe for the landslide to be repaired and road reopened.
The detour from Elizabeth puts motorists from Third Avenue onto Route 51 and then Roberts Hollow Road, Warren Hill Road, Williamsport Road and Pangburn Hollow Road, which connects with Bunola River Road. Travelers in the opposite direction can use the same roads.
A landslide in March closed in a separate section of Bunola River Road. That debris was cleaned up in a few days and the road reopened.
