Weather permitting, the Virginia Department of Transportation will resume work at the northbound Interstate 81 sinkhole site near the Augusta and Rockbridge County line. The left northbound travel lane will close at 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 19 on Interstate 81 for sinkhole repairs at mile marker 212.3 near the Augusta and Rockbridge County line.
It is unknown when the left lane will be reopened to traffic but motorists should anticipate single lane traffic in this area well into the night and possibly into the day on Friday. This location is between exit 205 at Route 606 in the Raphine area of Rockbridge County and exit 213 at Route 11 in the Greenville area of Augusta County.
Crews were at this site earlier this week to perform repairs. Repairs were suspended due to traffic backups in the middle of Monday afternoon and subsequent heavy rains in the area.
This sinkhole is not associated with the sinkhole repaired on I-81 northbound in Rockbridge County on May 5.
Because the sinkhole at mile marker 212.3 is located in the median and northbound ditch line next to the median, much of the work will occur on the left shoulder and into the median. To ensure the safety of workers in the area and allow for the necessary equipment to be used, the left travel lane will be closed in this area.
The Virginia Department of Transportation’s on-call contractor for these repairs is General Excavation Inc. of Warrenton. The sinkhole will be excavated and filled with stone and earth material to stabilize the hole. This work can take hours depending on how deep the sinkhole is, which cannot be determined until excavation begins.
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Chris Graham
