The shopping entrance to the MacArthur Towne Center at Sutler Drive, Whitehall, was re-opened Friday after a large sinkhole there was repaired.

The repairs of the sinkhole included removing the wet soil, repairing the water lines, filling in the cavity and repaving with fresh asphalt.

The entrance was closed for a week, during which shoppers attempting to access the shopping center had to use a detour.

Whitehall Township Mayor Edward D. Hozza Jr., at the township board of commissioners meeting April 14, said there had been two additional sinkholes at commercial properties – a small one at Lowe's, which had shopping carts and yellow tape used to close the section, and an unrelated small depression near the driveway at Walmart, across MacArthur Road from the other two.

Hozza encouraged all homeowners to have sinkhole insurance coverage, since the area is in a limestone belt. A house on Mickley Avenue in the township had to be closed awhile back because of a sinkhole.

The Sutler Drive sinkhole resulted from a UGI contractor which accidentally hit a water line several weeks ago, when working on a natural gas line serving the Lowe's store.

Northampton Borough Municipal Authority had crews repair the water line, but water leaks undermined the road. The contractor whose personnel hit the water line filled the sinkhole and made the repairs.