Pearce Mill Road was closed today as work begins on a $2.4 million project to repair a caved-in portion of the road just north of Route 910 in Pine Township.

Repairs are expected to be completed by November, according to PennDOT. The contractor performing the work is Joseph B. Fay Co. of Russellton. 

The state-maintained road began to crack and sag in March as the land beneath it started to slide at a time of heavy rains. The repair project includes reinforcing the slope and reconstructing the road in the area of the slide, PennDOT said.

Only local traffic will be able to travel portions of the road north and south of the work area, according to PennDOT.

A detour will take motorists on Route 910 to Babcock Boulevard and then north to the Red Belt / Warrendale Road, then west back to Pearce Mill Road. 

Pearce Mill Road is a major north-south artery in Pine Township on which Northern Regional Police Department's station, Pine Municipal Building and Pine Community Park are located.

About 2,740 vehicles use this area of Pearce Mill Road on an average day, according to PennDOT.

Another major detour in place already in Pine Township is for Graham Road, which connects Pearce Mill Road to the Red Belt. It is closed because of major work on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.