Hoffman Car Wash is now collaborating with an engineering firm to develop a plan to stabilize the slope at the far end of the property.
Bethleham, NY – Work is underway to stabilize the ground at a popular oil change and car wash center in Bethlehem that was forced to close last month over safety concerns.
The property on Delaware Avenue, home to both a Jiffy Lube and Hoffman Car Wash, was temporarily shut down by town officials after cracks in the earth raised fears of a potential landslide.
Related: Two Bethlehem businesses had to evacuate due to unstable ground
Bethlehem Town Attorney Jim Potter said the town has been in regular communication with Hoffman’s management as the company works to address the issue.
“We’ve been working cooperatively with the owners of Hoffman’s,” Potter said.
Hoffman Car Wash is now collaborating with an engineering firm to develop a plan to stabilize the slope at the far end of the property. Cracks in that area have been monitored for nearly two years and are close to other sites where land movement has previously occurred.
According to Hoffman’s, the company is in the final stages of review and expects to share its stabilization plan with the town’s engineering firm and National Grid soon.
Potter said any decision to reopen the site will depend on whether engineers determine the business can safely operate without posing further risk.
“If their engineer provides a report indicating that there can be a safe operation isolating certain areas of the site and our engineer agrees, then it’s a question of our planning staff and planning board determining if the facility can be operated in a safe manner from a traffic and internal traffic routing perspective,” Potter explained.
A Hoffman’s spokesperson told NewsChannel 13 that the site will remain temporarily closed while the company works through the engineering and approval process with the town. The company said its goal is to implement a long-term fix to ensure the property’s stability and safety before reopening.
Potter added that if engineers determine the site cannot be operated safely under the current plan, Hoffman’s will have to seek new approvals from the town.
“If because of this slope issue, it can’t be operated in that way, then Hoffman’s will have to go back to the planning board for an amendment of the site plan,” he said.
Despite the closure, Hoffman’s confirmed that no employees have lost their jobs. Most workers have been reassigned to other car wash locations in the area while the site remains closed.
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