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Little hole causes deep U.S. 19 headache

A spot south of Curlew Road that 75,937 drivers see each day is being repaired. Expect delays to continue today.

By TAMARA EL-KHOURY
Published September 28, 2005

PALM HARBOR - U.S. 19, a melee of cars, cranes, cones and construction, produced Tuesday yet another obstacle for weary commuters in the form of a gaping hole in the road.

The Florida Department of Transportation has suggested drivers braving this morning's southbound rush-hour commute find alternate routes while construction crews mend a 16-inch-wide hole on U.S. 19 south of Curlew Road. What the hole lacked in width, it made up for in depth. Five feet of depth, to be exact.

The little hole was big enough to close the highway's two outside lanes, which were surrounded by orange traffic cones Monday night after someone called the DOT maintenance office, said DOT spokeswoman Kris Carson.

She said the roads were congested Tuesday morning and the lanes are expected to reopen late today or early Thursday.

"Motorists can expect another day or two of this while we get the fix completed," Carson said.

The area was blocked off until an emergency repair contract with Cone & Graham was in place Tuesday morning.

The road is busy there. According to the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, 75,937 vehicles drive that part of U.S. 19 each day. Another 23,000 or more cars and trucks pass over Curlew where it crosses U.S. 19. The "roadway failure" was caused by two 48-inch storm sewer drainage pipes under the road, Carson said. Joints on the pipes separated, causing water to leak and erode the soil around them. That undermined the pavement, causing the hole to open. Maintenance crews will fill the cavity with concrete and go as deep as 10 feet.

Carson said she knows of no claims filed by motorists whose cars might have been damaged by the hole.

Happy commuting.

[Last modified September 28, 2005, 02:30:38]