A sinkhole that shuttered lanes on I-684 northbound near Lewisboro after heavy rains Tuesday, July 21 is the same sinkhole that's been plaguing the roadway since early July, officials said.
Only temporary repairs have been made by the New York Department of Transportation to stabilize the hole. With more rain expected to inundate the region
throughout July 28 and 29, some worry it could soon make its third appearance.“It is concerning that with the heavy rains it may open up again or it may start sinking again,” said Tony Gonçalves, supervisor for the town of Lewisboro. “I guess we’ll find out whether that repair they did on [July 21] will be able to hold.”
What caused the sinkhole to open and what’s been done since?
A deteriorated drainage pipe caused depressions to form in the road surface near Exit 6A
in Goldens Bridge on two separate occasions — once on July 9, and again on July 22.
Gonçalves said the stormwater drainage system functioning under the swath of road is likely very old, with its construction potentially dating back to when the highway opened up in the 1970s.
“In all likelihood, that needs to be repaired,” he said.
After opening for the first time, the sinkhole was filled with a “concrete slurry mix” and stabilized July 10, said Gonçalves. However, state officials were still in the process of implementing a long-term solution when it opened up again July 22.
Extreme rain and flooding in the area likely "compromised the repairs" that had been made earlier this month, he said. The hole was once again stabilized by July 23, after being filled with a “concrete-like material,” said Gonçalves.
“The New York State Department of Transportation is assessing options for the permanent repair of a deteriorated drainage pipe along Interstate 684 in the Town of Lewisboro,” according to a statement from the state agency. “NYSDOT has made temporary repairs to the road surface and continues to monitor conditions in the area.”
As the sinkhole is located on a state-owned highway, the state will bear the full cost of all repairs, Gonçalves said. The state agency did not immediately answer questions about the cost of the temporary or long-term repairs.
Miles of traffic on Interstate 684
The sinkhole has now closed the left and center lanes of the major highway from the mile marker 20.6 on multiple days this month.
The most recent closures — which lasted over 24 hours beginning July 21 — clogged up traffic for miles on the roadway throughout Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. Gonçalves said Lewisboro was swamped by traffic being diverted from the highway.
Some commuters took to social media to voice their frustrations.
"Here you go ladies and gents. The reason you will be sitting in 2 hours of traffic," one stuck driver posted on the I-684 Commuters Facebook page, alongside photos of the roped off lanes.
"I was just thinking that this just happened — I can't believe this happened again," wrote another.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: I-684 lanes closed by sinkhole officially reopen but concerns persist
