Route 209 north in Lehighton was closed temporarily Thursday afternoon for emergency repairs after the street flooded in a heavy storm.

The flooding occurred after a fast-moving, heavy rainstorm moved through the area after 2 p.m.

PennDOT officials performed emergency road repairs at the intersection of First Street, also known as Route 209 north, and Main Lane, directly in front of the Lehighton Elderly apartment building.

Residents of the building said the road filled with water, and water shot out of a manhole cover.

The situation was caused when heavy water flowing down South Street got under the lip of a manhole cover and peeled up the top layer of blacktop, a PennDOT spokesman said.

PennDOT crews cut out a section of pavement that had buckled from the pressure and patched it.

First street was closed for about an hour as Fire police had to direct cars on a route along Second Street which tied up traffic in the borough for about an hour.

First Street reopened just before 4 p.m.

Crews will return to the area tomorrow to perform a more permanent repair. For about two hours starting at 8 a.m., Flaggers will be directing traffic as the road is repaired, the spokesman said.