Pennsylvania Statutes Title 16 P.S. Counties § 5940. Laying out detours when county road is closed

(a) Except in the case of emergency wherein the safety of the public would be endangered, no county road shall be closed to vehicular traffic except upon order of the county commissioners, nor for a longer period than is necessary for the purpose for which such order is issued. Except for temporary emergency police measures wherein the safety of the public would be endangered if it were not temporarily closed, no county road shall be closed to vehicular traffic when the same has been designated as a detour by the Department of Transportation unless the written consent of the Department of Transportation has first been obtained, or unless the county commissioners having jurisdiction over said road shall, by resolution, declare such closing necessary for the protection of the public safety.

(b) Whenever any county road shall be closed to vehicular travel, the board of commissioners shall immediately designate or lay out a detour, on which they shall cause to be erected and maintained, while such detour is in use, legible signs at each public road intersection throughout its entire length indicating the direction to the main highway. During the period when such detour is in use, the county commissioners shall maintain such detour in safe and passable condition. They shall also immediately remove all detour signs when the highway originally closed is again opened for traffic.

(c) The county commissioners shall, as soon as possible, repair the road designated as a detour and place it in a condition at least equal to its condition when designated as a detour.

(d) “Highway” as used in this act  1 includes all public thoroughfares and ways equally with the word “road,” for convenience of expression.