BROOKHAVEN, Ga. — A busy part of Buford Highway was shut down after police reported damage to the road to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Brookhaven police said a sinkhole opened in the 3500-3600 block of Buford Hwy. on the northbound side, shutting down traffic on the road.
“Just standstill traffic, a whole bunch of cars and nothing else,” Corin Brown told Channel 2′s Bryan Mims. “I was wondering, because I didn’t see a crash. I was wondering what was going on over there.”
Brookhaven police notified GDOT, who sent a team to assess the situation on Buford Highway Wednesday morning.
Natalie Dale, a GDOT spokeswoman, told Channel 2 Action News that the sinkhole formed after a contractor working on a sidewalk enhancement and utility relocation project struck a sewer line Tuesday.
By 6 a.m., the sinkhole had developed, and the northbound lanes of Buford Highway in the area were shut down, according to GDOT.
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Work crews spent the day filling in the sinkhole and repaving the road. People living nearby told Channel 2 Action News that lanes closed for construction had already added to their morning commute.
Max Morrow, who lives near the site and drives on Buford Highway to get to work said the complete shutdown added to his drive to work.
“For the past several weeks, they’ve closed down one lane, so it adds 10 minutes to my commute trying to get over,” Morrow said. “Today it was completely shut off and I didn’t know why. It means I got to find another way to work, probably take another 30 minutes to get there.”
Dale told Channel 2 Action News that a contractor was assessing the utilities, with expectations that the hole will be filled and repaved by Wednesday evening.
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According to GDOT, drivers should avoid the area, and expect it to remain closed until after the peak commute time Wednesday evening.
The department told Channel 2 Action News that they are working with school systems to coordinate local bus drop-offs and ensure students are safely dropped off in the project limits.
“GDOTs contractor will have proper measures in place to escort school buses into the lane closure to ensure all student and homeowners will be able to gain access to their houses,” officials said. “We will be meeting the school buses at Afton Lane and escort them through the project as needed.”
Triple Team Traffic’s Mike Shields says drivers can use Interstate 85, Peachtree Road, Briarcliff Road or Dresden Drive as alternatives.
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