Sinkhole Forces Beltway Lane Closures

Inner Loop Reopens After Emergency Repairs Are Made Near Wilson Bridge

A small sinkhole that reduced the Capital Beltway's inner loop in Alexandria to a single lane yesterday afternoon was fixed by 7 p.m., when all lanes were reopened, said officials with the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project.

The sinkhole was discovered about noon yesterday by a crew that was called to fix a pothole on the Beltway just west of Route 1. But what workers found was part of the roadway collapsing.

If the timing was terrible, just before the afternoon rush, the location was even worse: in an area with no shoulders and a work area on one side and the outer loop on the other.

Crews were forced to close two of the three inner loop lanes, causing a traffic jam that extended several miles across the Wilson Bridge and beyond St. Barnabas Road in Prince George's County.

A minor traffic accident near the sinkhole site didn't help matters, delaying the opening of a second lane until after 3:30 p.m. The sinkhole was caused by a damaged drainage pipe that carries runoff under the Beltway, said John Undeland, spokesman for the bridge project.

The water from the broken pipe carried away surrounding material, creating a void around the pipe. The weight of traffic rolling over the area then caused the pavement to collapse.

Work crews dug out the area, creating a 4-foot-wide, 7-foot-long and 4-foot-deep hole. Workers then used a vacuum truck to suck up water and debris before stabilizing and covering the area.

Traffic officials ruled out the temporary fix of putting a metal plate over the hole to allow the lanes to remain open during rush hour. They said a plate would not stand up to the heavy traffic and could lead to an even worse problem.

"We want to make this as permanent a fix as possible so we don't have to fix it again,'' said Marcelino Romero, traffic planner with the bridge project.

In June 2005, a 10-foot-wide sinkhole on the outer loop in Virginia caused delays during the morning commute. That sinkhole was attributed to poor soil conditions in the swampy area leading to the Potomac River.

Romero said yesterday's sinkhole was not directly related to the massive bridge project. He said it was the first time project officials have had to reduce the Beltway to a single lane during rush hour.