VDOT: Portion of Route 616 in Augusta County closed for sinkhole repairs

The Virginia Department of Transportation has closed a portion of Route 616 (Humbert Road) in Augusta County for sinkhole repairs. This closure is between the intersections of Route 608 (Battlefield Road) and Route 782 (Morton Road) just east of the community of New Hope.

Signs will direct motorists on a roughly 3-mile detour route:

• Eastbound traffic will follow Route 608 north, Route 778 (Patterson Mill Road) east and Route 782 south back to Route 616.
• Westbound traffic will follow Route 782 north, Route 778 (Patterson Mill Road) west and Route 608 south back to Route 616.

The sinkhole was discovered Monday, October 5, about five feet from the edge of the roadway. Excavation revealed that repairs could not proceed until the road was closed. The sinkhole currently has a diameter of about 10 feet and a depth of about 22 feet.

Route 616 will remain closed until repairs are complete. All work is weather permitting.

VDOT’s on-call contractor for these repairs is Commonwealth Excavating Inc. The sinkhole will be fully excavated and repaired with a rock and concrete mix, then backfilled with stone and topped with a clay and topsoil mix. When that work is complete, part of the roadway will be repaved.

The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.

Traffic alerts and traveler information can be obtained by dialing 511. Traffic alerts and traveler information also are available at 511Virginia.org. For other assistance call the VDOT Customer Service Center, available 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week. Citizens can dial 1-800-FOR- ROAD (1-800-367-7623) from anywhere in the state to report road hazards, ask transportation questions, or get information related to Virginia’s roads.

The Staunton District Twitter feed is at @VaDOTStaunton. VDOT can be followed on Facebook, Flickr,Twitter and YouTube. RSS feeds are also available for statewide information. The VDOT Web page is located at www.VirginiaDOT.org.