Take a Detour

Well, this is wheely annoying. What started out as a sinkhole repair on West Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. 1 bridge in Southern Pines has turned into a longer closure, thanks to a failing drainage pipe.

While repairing the sinkhole caused by Tropical Storm Chantal flooding, engineers found that the original drain pipe beneath the roadway had begun to show signs of failure — so if you’re wondering why they’re digging instead of filling, it’s because they’re uh, busy laying pipe. DOT is hoping to reopen the road around the second week of September. We hope that estimate is more than a pipe dream. 

OTHER CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS YOU’VE BEEN ASKING ABOUT: 

• Southern Pines: More land is being cleared on Morganton Road between the Target and Lowe’s Foods complex. A car wash is moving in but that’s all we know so far. Yay…
• Whispering Pines: Near Provision Ace Hardware (new and old locations) there are several projects happening at once. What are they? A large building will include the new location of Mason’s Restaurant and Grocery and an ABC Store. Two smaller buildings will be a McDonald’s and a Starbucks. Hey, they can’t all be exciting.