(Jan. 26, 2017) A couple of decades-old corrugated metal pipes under Colona Road, just north of the Maryland-Virginia border in Pocomoke City, opened a sinkhole in the street above forcing the road to close while under repair.
According to county Public Works Director John Tustin, his department has had its eye on the situation for about six months before it got to a place where it needed immediate repair.
In the meantime, Tustin said, his department was able to secure all the proper permissions and permits for the work.
Work has already begun, Tustin said, and will take about four weeks, or until the end of February to complete.
The section of Colona Road between Hall and Wagram roads is open to local traffic only. Travelers will be forced to use New Bridge Road and Route 371 instead, leading to delays of about four minutes at the longest — barring other circumstances, like traffic.
“These are two 16-inch corrugated drainage pipes that were banded together for 40 years,” Tustin said.
Over time, as the pipes and banding degraded, sediment dropped into open sections in the metal, eventually eroding the road surface above and opening a sinkhole, Tustin said.
The pipes are being replaced with similarly sized reinforced concrete, Tustin said.