ARLINGTON — Repairs are underway on the sinkhole that closed the southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway between Route 123 and Spout Run during Tuesday morning's rush hour. Doug Hecox with the Federal Highway Administration told WMAL commuters are lucky because equipment to repair the road was already being used just across the Potomac River on the Clara Barton Parkway.
"We have repositioned some of that equipment so that we can make the repairs that need to be made very quickly," said Hecox. "If all goes well, we'll be paving this afternoon, and we should have the road open to traffic by rush hour tomorrow morning," he added.
The sinkhole was discovered following a multi-car accident Monday evening, and the road was closed immediately. The hole appears to be about six feet long and three feet deep, but in this case, looks are deceiving.
"The actual sinkhole is under the pavement, and it's about 25 feet from point to point, so it's a much larger space than the pavement makes it look," said Hecox, who says all of that space will have to be dug up and refilled before paving can commence.
The actual paving work is being done under less-than optimal conditions. The cold temperatures and rainy weather are not ideal for asphalt repair. "We can do it. It's something where we'll probably want to go back and make a better repair in the days ahead, but at least it'll be enough to open the road tomorrow morning," said Hecox.
Southbound parkway traffic is being diverted onto Route 123, while the ramp from Route 123 onto southbound George Washington Parkway will stay closed until further notice, according to police.
The George Washington Parkway is open southbound just south of Spout Run. Traffic on the northbound lanes is unaffected by the sinkhole.
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