Drivers in the City of Erie should take caution and plan accordingly as a portion of Sassafras Street at West 14th Street near the overpass will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
This closure is due to a road blowout, according to Jeff Gibbens, bureau chief of the Erie Streets Department.
What’s a road blowout?
A blowout can occur during cold weather when frost interacts with the clay base under the roads, pushing the asphalt upward, Gibbens said. A pavement blowout is most common in asphalt roadways built over concrete.
The streets department plans to replace the clay base with stone in hopes that the stone base will prevent any reoccurrence, Gibbens said.
This blowout is not the only one in the city. Gibbens said there are roughly close to 10 around the city, including on portions of Cherry and Liberty streets.
For the road work, the streets department has sectioned off only a portion of the road. The road will remain open during construction, but drivers can expect split roadway traffic patterns through their daily commutes.