Update: Sink hole forces closure of portion of Victory Drive

A sinkhole along Victory Drive will cause a major disruption in traffic flow on one of Columbus' busiest roadways.

The sinkhole, caused by the failure of a 24-inch sewer pipe, will force the closure of a section of Victory Drive near 25th Avenue not far from the Georgia National Guard Armory, said Columbus Police Maj. J.D. Hawk.

Currently blocked off is the stretch of road between 25th Avenue and 30th Avenue.

The hole was along the eastbound lane of Victory Drive in front of Rainbow Motors.

 On Sunday morning, eastbound traffic going toward Fort Benning was diverted to the westbound side, which was still open to traffic about 10 a.m.

Vic Burchfield, vice president of information and water quality services at the Columbus Water Works, said the damage to the pipe is being assessed.

"The pipe is 20 feet below the ground," he said.

It runs across Victory Drive.

The cause for the damage has not been determined but Burchfield said excess rain increasing the flow in the pipes likely play a role.

Burchfield said no sewage flowed into Bull Creek or the Chattahoochee River.

"All the sewage is contained and is draining back into the sanitary sewer main," he said.

 As workers from Gordy Construction Company try to find and fix the problem, all lanes east and west of Victory Drive will  be closed before the end of Sunday, Hawk said.

The closure will last until further notice, according to Burchfield.

Hawk said planning a detour would not be easy since there are not a lot of side streets in the area.

Hawk's advice, especially to motorists from Alabama who use Victory Drive to get to Fort Benning, is to find an alternate route.

"The best bet is going to be to avoid it," Hawk said.

The official detours are as follows:

West bound traffic (going away from Fort Benning) will be detoured to I-185 North and will exit at Macon Road.  Traffic will follow Macon Road  to Buena Vista Road  and then take 13th Street (Spur 22) to Veterans Parkway.  Traffic will then follow Veterans Parkway South to Victory Drive where traffic can resume its normal route.

East bound traffic (going toward Fort Benning) will be detoured North on Veterans Parkway and then take 13th Street  to Buena Vista Road  and then to Macon Road (Spur 22).  Traffic will then take I-185 South to Victory Drive where traffic can resume its normal route.

The sink hole opened about noon on Saturday and crews worked into the night to drain it and pump it out. A worker on the site, who asked not be identified, said the problem has yet to be located. The pipe failure arose after record December rainfall in the Chattahoochee Valley.

This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Update: Sink hole forces closure of portion of Victory Drive."