PennDOT Working To Repair Weather Damage On Route 1

PennDOT is aware potholes and other winter weather-related damage along Route 1 that needs attention.

A spokesperson for the state transportation agency tasked with maintaining the highway that cuts through Lower Bucks County acknowledged the damage on Route 1 and said crews have been working to make repairs.

The conditions on Route 1 in portions of Falls Township and Morrisville became so bad Sunday that lanes had to be blocked and emergency repair work had to be done, according local officials.

Regional PennDOT spokesperson Bob Kent confirmed work on the stretch of Route 1 between Route 13 and the New Jersey border was performed Sunday and Monday. He said the work consisted of hot patching problem areas on the road surface.

According to PennDOT, the hot mix used this week is a mixture of pure asphalt and fine stone heated to about 300 degrees. The pothole is squared, cleaned and coated with a tack-coat of asphalt to bind the patch.

In the spring, PennDOT crews will be able to perform more detailed base repairs to the section of Route 1.

PennDOT maintenance teams and contractors were also out this week performing scheduled pothole repair on Route 1 in Bensalem and Middletown.

The section of Route 1 in Falls and Morrisville that have caused trouble this week is an older section of the highway, Kent said.

This year’s extreme freeze and thaw cycle are blamed for the worse-than-normal pothole season, Kent said, adding there was similar conditions in 2015.

Drivers are advised to be alert for potholes and try to safely avoid them, Kent said.