In 1993, Route 61 south of Centralia was officially closed after the side effects of the underground mine fire began to warp and break the roadway. A detour through Byrnesville was put in place and eventually became the new Route 61.
Even though the highway was closed, the area became an instant attraction for Centralia enthusiasts and that is when the graffiti started. While some artwork was vulgar, it drew a crowd just to see the "Graffiti Highway" and even some to create their own artwork.
Fast forward to 2020 and the Coronavirus Pandemic. The highway and Centralia began to draw hundreds of people daily to the site which also caused issues for emergency personnel who had to respond to incidents.
This forced Pagnotti Enterprises, the owner of the land, to close "Graffiti Highway" Monday morning.
At dawn, crews from Fox Mining arrived at the north end to create an entrance to allow trucks to haul in dirt to cover the road.
The Pennsylvania State Police were also called in to assist keeping people away from the work being done on the property.
We learned through people closely involved that the project is expected to take three days and the expectation is to cover the entire highway with dirt.
After the dirt is in place, trees and grass will be planted to keep people off the property.
From those locally, there is a mixed reaction to the project.
Some people are praising the project like a resident from Aristes and said "the area has become a big problem recently and its come to a boiling point. If something wasn't done, someone was going to really get hurt or even die in there".
A resident of Ashland felt the area should preserved, "This highway is history, those that come here and act dangerously should not ruin it for everyone else."