ONLY ONLINE: Efforts underway to fix road slides and sinkholes in Williamsburg

Williamsburg officials say efforts are underway to repair various road slides and sinkholes that have been ongoing problems in the city recently.

During Monday’s monthly meeting, the Williamsburg City Council authorized City Clerk Teresa Black to sign documents related to a Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement to pay for a slide repair on Campbell Hill.

Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison said that FEMA will reimburse the city for 75 percent of the cost to repair the slide.
The city also hopes to tap into the state emergency road fund to secure funding to pay for another 13 percent of the project costs.

Harrison said efforts are being made to find out where solid rock is under the road and then construction officials will shore that up, put gravel down and compact it so the road won’t slide again before repaving the road.

Harrison said that the goal of the effort is to get Campbell Hill Road back to its original state in travelable condition.

The council also voted Monday to formally accept a proposal from Consulting Service Incorporated to provide engineering services on the Campbell Hill project.

Harrison said the city is still trying to get funding to repair a slide on Freeman Hollow, and that the first goal of the repair is to get the property owners back into their home, which might be accomplished with the removal of one or two trees.
The second goal is to get the road repaired.

Harrison said the city recently got turned down for funding from one source to repair the road.

Also during Monday’s meeting, Harrison updated the council on plans to repair a section of Second Street damaged by sinkholes.

Harrison said he had been waiting to make the repairs on Second Street until the 10th Street project was finished because Second Street is being utilized as a detour, but that the city can’t wait much longer before it begins the repairs since the 10th Street project probably won’t be completed until early next month.

"There are a couple of places all along Second Street from the railroad tracks to Main Street that have several spots in it," Harrison said.

The plan calls for construction crews to fill the holes up with rock and then pave over the top of the repairs.

All of Second Street between the railroad crossing and Main Street won’t be repaved but Harrison said there will be long sections that will be done.

Around the old pool, Harrison said construction crews will raise the dip in the road back up to its original height or close to it, put a curb in and then pave over the spot where there was a sinkhole.

Harrison said this won’t be a permanent fix but he hopes it will solve the problem for a decade or two.

"It would be tremendously expensive to dig that all the way down now. The other consideration is if we did that then we are going to have to cut Second Street off for a considerable amount of time," he added.

"If we cut Second Street off at the same time 10th Street is cut off, then a lot of businesses would be hurt because 18-wheelers wouldn’t be able to go there."

Harrison said besides the sinkhole on Second Street near the old city pool, there is also a sinkhole on Rains Street that was caused by a water leak. City officials plan to repair both streets at the same time.