Two lanes and a shoulder are still closed on southbound Interstate 270 near Interstate 370 in Montgomery County as crews continue to repair a sinkhole on one of Maryland’s busiest roads.
“We will open these lanes as soon as it is safely possible,” Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration spokesperson Shantee Felix said in a statement Monday.
Rainy weather, such as the previous days in the D.C. area, is something that crews have to consider when fixing the issue.
For example, it’s important to keep water out of the massive sinkhole until it’s repaired, Felix said.
“During these rain events, the drainage pipe is critical to keep water out of the massive sinkhole until the repair is made. With clear weather, we will be installing [a] new pipe, storm drain and manhole into the existing drainage system. Then we will have to backfill the area with stone and soil and properly compact prior to resurfacing,” Felix said.
The 20 feet deep and 30 feet wide sinkhole materialized under the roadway near Gaithersburg on June 15.
“There is a lot of damage underneath there,” SHA spokesman Charles Gischlar told WTOP earlier this month, and rain could be an issue in trying to repair it.
“We’re hoping we can get it open by the Fourth of July holiday, if not sooner,” Gischlar said, but “there’s a lot of work that still has to be done.”
WTOP Traffic Reporter Mary DePompa contributed to this report.
