2/23/17
by News Department on 02/23/17Centralia off limits...
Centralia has become a popular tourist attraction over the years, but now tourists are being warned to stay out.
State police have been asked to cite any trespassers, especially those coming to see the ghost town’s most colorful attraction known as “Graffiti Highway.”
A mine fire has been burning under the borough since 1962. In the late 1980s, a $42 million federal relocation program bought most of the homes and tore them down.
The state Department of Transportation closed the 0.74-mile section of road more than 20 years ago when it became unsafe for vehicles. Not long after it was closed, the road became a tourist attraction due to its warped pavement and amount of graffiti covering it.
Authorities say the area is prone to subsidence and firefighters are called at least once a year for a rescue.
Just last week, police cited eight people for driving ATVs and other vehicles on the road and told about 30 more to leave.
PennDOT no longer monitors the conditions of the abandoned road and officials say it may be dangerous.
