Sinkhole repairs may cause delays on Interstate 81 in Augusta County

The Virginia Department of Transportation will repair a sinkhole this week along the right shoulder of Interstate 81 southbound at mile marker 211.8. This location is between I-81 exit 213 at Route 11 in the Greenville area of Augusta County and I-81 exit 205 at Route 606 in the Raphine area of Rockbridge County.

The sinkhole, located on the shoulder of the road, has a diameter of approximately eight feet with a depth of approximately 12 feet.

Repairs are scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 29, and may require only a right shoulder closure. If necessary, the southbound right lane would also be closed from 6 p.m. Tuesday until 12 noonWednesday, when repairs should be complete. Motorists should be alert for possible congestion from this work zone. All work is weather permitting.

VDOT’s on-call contractor for these repairs is Commonwealth Excavation Inc. The sinkhole will be excavated and repaired with a rock and concrete mix, then backfilled with stone and then topped with a clay and topsoil mix. If the roadway surface is disturbed paving will also be done in that area.

VDOT has been monitoring the sinkhole since February, when it was discovered during maintenance operations. It has progressed to the point where it requires a full repair.

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.