Water Damages Part of SR172 in Hart County

SR172 in Hart County is now open to traffic but had to be closed for a time Monday because of flooding.

Georgia DOT crews closed the road around 2p Monday afternoon.

At first it was thought the two mile stretch of roadway would remain closed indefinitely until the flooding receded and crews could determine its cause.

But by late afternoon, GDOT spokesperson Teri Pope said crews were able to re-open the road to traffic.

“It looks like water from a utility line that got stopped up undermined the support structure of Highway 172. We’ve been able to install steel plates on the roadway to create a stable driving surface,” Pope said.

Pope said because of the weather, the plates will remain in place until crews can get in there and do a full repair.

“The area is saturated and we will have to wait until the area completely dries out to finish the repairs,” Pope said.

The damage to SR172 covers a two-mile section from Race Street to SR 8/US 29, but it’s not known now deep the damage goes.

Motorists are asked to use caution when driving in that area and over the steel plates.