No more detours: North Raleigh sinkhole repaired month early

The 25-foot-deep sinkhole opened on Newton Road during a May 21 storm, and city engineers initially said it would take until late August to complete repairs.

In recent weeks, crews have replaced the broken stormwater pipe that caused the sinkhole with a 120-foot-long culvert, worked with utility companies on shifting electric, water, phone, cable and internet lines and rebuilt and repaved Newton Road over the new culvert.

"The emergency repair was done efficiently and quickly in large part due to the hard work and dedication of city staff; our contractor, Carolina Civilworks Inc., and the flexibility of private utility companies with infrastructure in the area," Assistant Engineering Services Director Blair Hinkle said in a statement. "We also are deeply grateful for the continued patience of Raleigh residents who were affected by the road closure."

The new culvert will allow more stormwater runoff to flow through without relying heavily on overflow stormwater pipes during a storm, officials said. City engineers also plans to look at potential improvements to the stream channel of the East Fork of Mine Creek in the area, they said.