Mahoning Township plans to temporarily close Flagstaff Road to patch potholes.

Township supervisors said Tuesday night that they have tentatively planned to close the road during the first week of September to patch potholes.

The proposed schedule is to close the road during the daytime hours on Sept. 4-6, but officials said it depends on weather and blacktop availability.

The township has allotted 250 tons of blacktop to patch the road.

The project wasn’t originally part of their paving plans for 2019, but they saw the need for repairs.

The township has decided to temporarily close the road to ensure the safety of its workers.

“It is so they can work on the full width of the road without risking injury to our road crew,” said Bruce Steigerwalt, the supervisors’ vice chairman.

Many drivers have used the road as an unofficial detour to get around Mansion House Hill on Route 209, which is currently closed during daytime hours Monday-Friday as a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation contractor completes a project to address loose rocks, which in the past have fallen onto Route 209.

Steigerwalt said it appeared that the problem has gotten worse since the Mansion House project began. He said he does not know the age of the road.

When the Mansion House project started, PennDOT posted Flagstaff Road to restrict truck traffic. The supervisors say they have still seen trucks using the road.

Flagstaff Road carries traffic over Flagstaff Mountain and crosses the line between the township and Jim Thorpe.

Officials from Jim Thorpe Borough said they have also seen deterioration on their section of the road.

A PennDOT spokesman said that the department was not aware of the township’s project.

The supervisors next meet at 6 p.m. on Aug. 28.