A sinkhole caused by an underground pipe failure will leave traffic snarled on Highway 111 in Sequatchie County until crews are able to fix the pipe and the hole, according to state transportation officials.
Tennessee Department of Transportation maintenance crews have closed Highway 111 north near Lewis Chapel Road “due to a pipe failure that caused a circular shaped depression in the roadway,” Rae Anne Bradley, spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement. “This will be a short-term closure while our crews work to repair and reopen the roadway — the right shoulder — to carry one lane of traffic by the end of the week.”
(READ MORE: Hamilton County considers $101,000 contract to assess sinkhole near McDonald Farm dam)
The hole covering most of both northbound travel lanes is a few hundred feet south of the Lewis Chapel Road exit ramp.
While the work is being done, drivers must detour. Motorists will take Highway 111’s Flat Top Mountain Exit, traveling north on Jones Gap Road, turning left onto Lewis Chapel Road, then turning right and returning to Highway 111 north, according to the state agency. Signs are posted directing drivers around the closure, Bradley said.
According to the Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Office, when the hole first opened up a few days ago, northbound Highway 111 was shut down at Jones Gap Road.
Highway 111 has had the same problem before, according to agency records.
A sinkhole developed on Highway 111 South near Soddy‑Daisy in Hamilton County due to the extremely heavy rainfall the area received in September 2018. The damage in 2018 caused traffic delays for days because crews had to wait for the rainy weather to improve before repairs could be made, according to the agency.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.