DELAWARE — There’s a sinkhole on U.S. 42, dear Liza, dear Liza. So fix it, dear ODOT, dear ODOT, fix it.
Delaware County motorists might be singing a parody of that classic tune right about now.
One resident, however, cut the music and asked Delaware Source to find out when the Ohio Department of Transportation plans to fix the sinkhole.
The hole, which is between County Home Road and Kelly McMaster Road, has reduced a portion of the highway from two lanes to one. Additionally, a temporary traffic signal is currently in place to safely guide traffic around the hole.
ODOT District 6 Public Information Officer Hannah Salem said the agency first became aware of the sinkhole on July 21 after a culvert pipe deteriorated under the road. She said ODOT is actively working on a plan to replace the pipe and fill the hole.
“We have had to order a new culvert to be replaced in that section of roadway, which is currently expected to be delivered around the first week of November,” Salem said.
“We’re expecting the work to begin late October, early November, just dependent on that time frame of when the material comes in.”
Salem added that ODOT expects crews to do the repair no longer than 30 days after they receive the proper materials. She also said that ODOT plans to do a “full closure” of 42 during the construction.
ODOT will share more updates about the construction’s schedule on their website and via their traffic advisories as more information becomes available, Salem said.
Are sinkholes a common problem?
Salem said deteriorating pipes can cause the roadway above them to settle, eventually creating a hole in the pavement.
She said her office deals with sinkholes from time to time, but they aren’t particularly common in Delaware County.
For the hole on 42, Salem said ODOT doesn’t have any safety concerns at the moment, and taking the area around the hole down to one lane will keep people from driving over it.
“People do think its a pothole, I did see online that folks were wondering why it was taking so long to just fill a pothole,” Salem said. “It’s a little bit more complex than that because we have to replace the pipe underneath the roadway.”
She noted the sinkhole had not injured anyone or caused an accident.
“We’re working as quickly as possible to get things repaired and reopened for the public,” Salem said.
“But they can expect to see that temporary signal there through the beginning of November, and then we’ll have the closure to complete the work.”
