Highway 9 Sinkhole Repair Continues; Lanes Remain Closed

ROSWELL, GA -- It appears you will have to deal with heavier than normal traffic in Roswell for a few more days, as Georgia Department of Transportation crews continue to repair a sinkhole that reopened last week on Highway 9. The city said GDOT anticipates the work will be completed by Nov. 14, weather permitting, of course.

One lane remains open in each direction between Oxbo Road and Oak Street; however, drivers are urged to use an alternate route, if possible, since the road's usual traffic capacity is reduced.

The cause of the sinkhole is an old, unmarked storm drain 20 feet below the road that had rusted and collapsed. The Roswell Transportation Department is working with GDOT to ensure that this project is completed properly and safely. The project will include boring a new pipeline under the road, as well as constructing associated structures on each side of the road.

Sinkholes typically form when a void underground creates a depression into which everything around it drains, Roswell said. There are several different factors that can cause sinkholes, but in this particular case — that of a damaged, collapsed water pipe — loose deposits of earth fill the space created by the collapsed pipe, and in some cases, water from the pipe permeates the ground around it, weakening the surrounding soil.

A cavity remains above the collapsed pipe and expands upwards toward the surface. In cases like this, where there is a solid layer of material such as asphalt, the cavity below can remain concealed even as it grows, the city said.

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