Stretch of Cary Parkway closed for three weeks after culvert fire
The North Carolina Department of Transportation said Friday that all westbound lanes of Cary Parkway from Lake Pine Drive to Two Creeks Road will be closed for about three weeks to replace a culvert destroyed by fire.
DOT spokesman Steve Abbott said engineers will have to replace about 100 feet of the 12-by-8-foot pipe, which is expected to cost at least $400,000. The damaged pipe will have to be removed, which will require tearing up the pavement, and then the road will be re-paved once the new culvert is installed.
About 30,000 cars travel the Cary Parkway each day, Abbott said.
On Friday, drivers were being detoured onto Tryon Road.
The Town of Cary said the fire, which they ruled suspicious and man-made, started just after 6 p.m. Thursday in the culvert under Cary Parkway. The heat from the blaze caused part of the massive pipe to collapse.
Officials said there's no evidence to clearly show whether the blaze was accidental or malicious. The town is investigating.
