Sinkhole Repair Takes Another Step Forward

Good weather means good progress for crews in Hart County working to repair a 20-ft deep sinkhole on the Reed Creek Highway/SR51.

On Monday, the Georgia Department of Transportation released an update on the project.  GDOT Spokesperson Teri Pope says workers have now finished constructing a dry work area.

“The Georgia DOT has the coffer dam system in place now around the SR51 sinkhole in Lake Hartwell,” Pope said. “Now we can pump the water out so we have a dry place to work and crews can remove the damaged pipe and install the new pipe.”

The sinkhole opened up May 6th after a culvert pipe some 40ft under the roadway collapsed.

Since then, it’s been a step-by-step process for crews, involving weeks of planning and pre-repair work to reach the damaged pipe, but Pope says repairs are still on schedule.

“The project is going well and is on schedule to open by August 24, if the weather cooperates,” Pope said. “All this work is very temperature and wet sensitive as well. Once we get a dry work area, it needs to stay dry. It’s a lot of pieces to get just right.”

Bayne Smith, G-DOT District Engineer for Northeast Georgia tells WLHR News, however, relocating local utilities took longer than expected.

The work area is tight because it is surrounded by Lake Hartwell. Since there isn’t an area to store the huge pipe at the work zone, the new drainage pipe will be delivered in sections when the Contractor is ready to begin pipe installation. After the pipe is installed then the dirt goes on top and we can start building back up to the grade of the roadway. Lastly, crews will pave and stripe the newly rebuilt roadway,” explained Smith.

Hart EMC, Hart Cable TV and the Hart County Water and Sewer Authority all had to move their utilities from around the sinkhole area in order to give crews a place to work.

Smith said the new custom fabricated culvert pipe, which is180 feet long and 13 feet in diameter, will be delivered in sections.

Meantime, motorists should continue to follow the detour signs around the sinkhole work area.