In Apex, flood damage means months of delays, millions in repairs
During Wednesday’s severe weather, several roads in Wake County flooded. On Olive Chapel Rd in Apex, the street collapsed under the weight of rushing water, opening a sinkhole that could take months and millions to fix. According to state Department of Transportation, the road will be closed until November.
For Elona Keegan and others who regularly use that road, it’s a major hassle.
“I’ve never seen anything like this so close to where I live that would definitely impact my travel,” she said.
The recommended detour is almost four miles and takes up to 10 minutes in traffic:
Drivers headed west to east would leave Olive Chapel Road at Kelly Road, go north to U.S. Highway 64, then each to N.C. Highway 55 (West Williams Road). From 55, they would access Apex Peakway to return to Olive Chapel Road.
“That’s gonna be a huge deterrent for a lot of people,” Camini Maragh said.
NCDOT said Thursday it is exploring ways to accelerate plans to replace the culvert that failed under Olive Chapel Road, which led to the creation of the sinkhole. The floods caused one of two metal drainpipes under the road to collapse.
“We understand this is significant, and we’re gonna work with NC DOT to bring it back to what it used to be,” Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert said. “Just be patient. This is what’s in front of us. As we always to in Apex, we adapt and we overcome.”
Prior to Wednesday’s storms and flooding, the department had already made plans to replace and upgrade the drainage system.
The department is working to finalize plans to design the project, acquire additional right-of-way and relocate utilities in the roadway in order to replace the pipes, which were nearing the end of their lifespan.
The overall project is estimated to cost more than $2 million.
People living near the sinkhole tell WRAL News this is the worst flooding that they have seen, even worse than Hurricane Helene and Tropical Depression Chantal.
“It’s fairly common when we get a good rain to have some standing water here,” said Todd Lemenick, who lives nearby. “But nowhere remotely close to a road washing away. That’s wild.”
Many people in neighborhoods off Olive Chapel Road are concerned about the road closure and the impact it may have on traffic.
“We ride our scooters through here all the time, and it’s a very high-traffic area. This is not good,” said Lemenick.
In other parts of the county, the heavy downpours took a toll as well. Richardson Road in Apex was closed due to heavy flooding.
On Stonender Way in Holly Springs, the flooded road was impassable. The street was closed because officials could not tell how deep the water was or what was underneath.
There were no reported injuries in Wake County due to Wednesday’s severe weather.
While no one was hurt in the flooding on Wednesday in Wake County, two people were killed by rushing flood waters in Spring Hope after they were caught trying to cross a flooded road.
Flooding safety resources:
Source – Indonesia News
