Sinkhole closes major Raleigh road after overnight flooding

By Claudia Rupcich, WRAL reporter

Raleigh, N.C. — Heavy rain on Monday evening has left some Raleigh roads impassable Tuesday.

Road closures

Authorities said a sink hole that was about 25 feet deep opened up on Newton Road at Six Forks Road as a result of the storm. Authorities said residents in the area were temporarily without water as a result of the sinkhole.

The City of Raleigh has closed all lanes of traffic from the 100 to 500 blocks of Newton Road between Sandy Creek Way and Newton Way near Six Forks Road while crews repair an emergency water main break repair caused by the heavy rains. Officials said the work is expected to be on-going for the next several days.

The following is a detour around the work site:

• Motorists heading west on Newton Road, turn left on Van Thomas Drive, right on Woodbend Drive and back onto Six Forks Road
• Motorists heading north on Six Forks Road turn right on Woodbend Drive, left on Van Thomas Drive and right onto Newton Road
• Motorists heading south on Six Forks Road turn left on Woodbend Drive, left on Van Thomas Drive and right onto Newton Road
• Motorists approaching this work area should expect traffic delays, and are advised to avoid this area if possible.

Flash flooding in Raleigh

A flash flood warning expired in Wake County at 2:45 a.m. after storms moving through the area on Monday night quickly began causing travel problems.

Storms began moving through Wake County at about 7 p.m. and more than 3 inches of rain fell in parts of the county by time the rain began letting up. Interstate 440 at Six Forks Road was closed for more than an hour as a result of severe flooding in the area. Flooding was also impacting Glenwood Avenue and Creedmoor Road.

Cierra Moody said she was diving near Creedmoor Road and Glenwood Avenue on her way to visit a family member in the hospital when, all of a sudden, the water started rising and her car got stuck, forcing her to climb out the window.

Crabtree Creek began overflowing, impacting the parking decks at Crabtree Valley Mall and shutting down surrounding roads.

Robert Royster said he was celebrating his daughter's birthday at Kanki at the mall and watched as the creek began spilling into the parking garage.

"I was driving. Within about seven to 10 minutes, water was a foot high. It continued to flood and flood and flood," he said.

At least a dozen cars had to be towed away following the flooding, but the water had started to recede by about 10 p.m.

The National Weather Service was also reporting several cars stranded at Millbrood and Leesville Roads as a result of flooding.