Have you ever heard of PA's "Graffiti Highway" in Centralia? Or Centralia in general? It's a very fascinating Pennsylvania story that many people might not know about.
The highway, seen below, has been an unofficial tourist destination for many years - 27 in fact - since the road, once a part of Pennsylvania's Route 61, was shut down in 1993. The road was severely damaged by a coal that fire burning *under* (yes, under) the town of Centralia (about an hour northeast of Hershey) for more than 50 years. And it's STILL burning! How crazy is that?
While PA has told people that the area isn't safe, and hasn't been since the coal fire started, many people have continued to go see the highway that has gotten more and more graffiti over the years.
Sadly, the tourist destination will be no more. WNEP reports that a local coal company's crews have been hired to haul dirt and work to cover the highway. The coal company added, "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."
Action was expedited for the area recently after videos popped up online of parties being held there, and most recently, people just starting other fires there. There's no date set, but it appears the covering will only take 3-4 days, so it looks like the highway will be gone imminently.