Sinkhole Repairs Expected to Take Most of Summer
It looks like a portion of SR51/Reed Creek Highway in Hart County will be closed for most of the summer.
On Monday, the Georgia Department of Transportation announced the deadline to submit bids to repair the giant sinkhole on SR51/Reed Creek Highway in Hart County is Wednesday.
Last week, G-DOT District Engineer for Northeast Georgia Bayne Smith said his office had solicited three bids from three different contractors.
On May 6th a motorist discovered the massive sinkhole after almost driving into it.
Once the asphalt was removed, Georgia DOT Engineers found a cavity 10 feet square at the top and 20 feet deep taking up almost the entire northbound lane.
The earth supporting the roadway was undermined when a huge culvert pipe under the road collapsed some 40 feet under the roadway. G-DOT spokesperson Teri Pope said the scope of work just to get to the place where the pipe can be repaired is massive.
“The first thing the contractor will have to do is build a dry work place and literally displace the lake water so that they have a dry and safe place to work,” Pope said. “To do that, they have to excavate down to the pipe, which is 40 feet below the road grade.”
After that, she said the new pipe has to be put in, but it has to be made first.
“Once they get down to the pipe and can take exact measurements, a custom pipe has to be made,” Pope said. “While that pipe is being made, the crew will excavate the existing pipe and re=install the new pipe. Then, they can begin to rebuild the road bed.”
Assuming the weather cooperates, Pope said total repair time is expected to be about six weeks once construction and repair work begins.
Total cost of the project has not yet been determined.