| RELEASE: CONTACT: |
IMMEDIATE Lou Hatter (540) 829-7537 Louis.Hatter@VDOT.Virginia.gov Odile Brookings 540-829-7394 |
CULP-0661 July 13, 2006 |
Sinkhole Restricts Route 29 Traffic North of Charlottesville
CULPEPER – Work will continue overnight to repair a drainpipe that caused a sinkhole on Route 29 South just south of Airport Road in Albemarle County. The hole, which is approximately 15 feet in diameter and nine feet deep, developed Wednesday afternoon and forced the Virginia Department of Transportation to close the right southbound travel lane and the right turn lane at Timberlake Drive.
Traffic is restricted to one lane southbound just south of Airport Road. Motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible, consider alternate routes or shift travel plans to avoid rush hour Thursday morning. Motorists who must use Route 29 South on Thursday morning should expect significant delays, particularly during morning commuting hours.
A breach in the pipe that carries stormwater below Route 29 is believed to have caused the sinkhole. The hole allowed gravel and soil above the pipe to fall into the pipe, creating a void space that expanded until it could no longer support the road surface above it.
A crew from General Excavation Inc. is digging out the fill above the pipe, which is buried about 25 feet beneath the road surface. Once the pipe is exposed VDOT engineers will examine the pipe to determine the cause of the failure and repair the pipe. The repair operation is expected to continue through Thursday morning, depending on the extent of the failure and the complexity of the needed repairs.
The sinkhole appeared in the same location as a similar hole that opened in late November 2005. That hole was determined to have been caused by the failure of a section of the stormwater pipe, which is believed to be more than 50 years old. The failed section of pipe was replaced. VDOT and contractor crews worked around the clock for almost two days to repair that sinkhole.
Traffic is restricted to one lane southbound just south of Airport Road. Motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible, consider alternate routes or shift travel plans to avoid rush hour Thursday morning. Motorists who must use Route 29 South on Thursday morning should expect significant delays, particularly during morning commuting hours.
A breach in the pipe that carries stormwater below Route 29 is believed to have caused the sinkhole. The hole allowed gravel and soil above the pipe to fall into the pipe, creating a void space that expanded until it could no longer support the road surface above it.
A crew from General Excavation Inc. is digging out the fill above the pipe, which is buried about 25 feet beneath the road surface. Once the pipe is exposed VDOT engineers will examine the pipe to determine the cause of the failure and repair the pipe. The repair operation is expected to continue through Thursday morning, depending on the extent of the failure and the complexity of the needed repairs.
The sinkhole appeared in the same location as a similar hole that opened in late November 2005. That hole was determined to have been caused by the failure of a section of the stormwater pipe, which is believed to be more than 50 years old. The failed section of pipe was replaced. VDOT and contractor crews worked around the clock for almost two days to repair that sinkhole.
Page last modified: July 12, 2006
