Residents and guests using Route 44 in the Pine Creek valley in Cummings Township can rest easy that the one-lane road caused by a rockslide in late April will be repaired in coming weeks, county officials said Monday.

The state Department of Transportation Monday gave word to the county planning department it had approved emergency funding to repair the road damaged by the slide, said Mark Murawski, county transportation supervisor.

The emergency funding is approved pending the opening of bids to see the actual cost of the repairs, Murawski said.

It is estimated the cost to repair the slide to be about $3 million, he said. “We could come under that,” he added.

The southbound lane of the road was closed and the northbound lane kept open, he said.

It is an important access for residents and those heading to the Pennsylvania Wilds and parklands for camping, hiking and fishing.

If the embankment was left to continue to deteriorate, there would need to be a 25-mile detour for drivers and that wouldn’t be logical nor safe for those needing emergency services, he said.

PennDOT inspectors are checking the site almost daily and ensuring it does not progress to where the road must be shut down, he said.

“I want to personally thank PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards for her consideration of Lycoming County’s rockslide repair funding on Route 44,” Murawski said.

The state is dealing with nine rockslide-related highway emergencies and has $10 million to distribute, he said.