Pennsylvania's colourful 'Graffiti Highway' a bizarre landmark at Centralia is soon going to be wiped off. Reportedly, despite coronavirus lockdown, people are visiting the place. So now authorities have decided to cover the road in the dirt to discourage trespassers. The road was once a part of Pennsylvania Route 61 which has quite some history. It was closed in 1933 after being damaged by a coal fire which is still present, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. It is said that on 1962, officials started the fire to clean up a trash dump, but the flames ignited a field of coal which is present under the town. It's been burning ever since, according to the state. Best Places to See Fall Season From Around the World!

The 74-mile stretch of highway got its nickname due to the graffiti painted all over its surface. The Graffiti Highway was closed to traffic 25 years ago. PennDOT then vacated the road and turned it over to a Pagnotti subsidiary in 2018. Centralia is located about an hour northeast of Hershey, Pennsylvania. It was once home to about 1,200 people, but abandoned because of the fire.

Meanwhile, people took to Twitter remembering the highway:

People Are Sharing Photos of the Road With 'RIP Grafitti Highway':

Check Out The Pictures Below:

Centralia's Graffiti Highway (HQ)

Vincent Guarna of Fox Coal Company told WNEP, "We'll bring in approximately 400 loads of material, and then we'll level it off, and then we'll probably plant it, and hopefully, there will be trees and grass growing there. I think a few weeks ago, there was a fire there, people just starting fires." Once the dirt will be offloaded, loads of material will be smoothed to cover the road. They will then plant saplings and how it soon grow into trees.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 08, 2020 05:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).