Area rainfall causes high waters, destruction to some roads
Published 3:31 pm Friday, February 25, 2022
- Photo Contributed Water damage on Charity Hill Road in Carter County caused a main pipe to be washed away from the road, leaving a part of the pavement displaced.
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BY NIC MILLER
STAR STAFF
Part of a Carter County road is closed after a wash-out due to a combination of heavy rains and a burst pipe.
“We had one main pipe that washed out on Charity Hill Road in Siam, causing a section of the roadway to be completely washed in two,” said Carter County Assistant Road Superintendent Shannon Burchett. “We have that road barricaded for the time being until we can have that fixed and the pipe replaced.
“The main issue there was that there was more water than the pipe could carry. When you have a 15- or an 18-inch pipe and two feet of water coming from a ditch, that is more than the pipe can handle,” Burchett said.
Burchett said other damage across the county was minimal from Thursday’s rains. “The issue that we saw the most of was the pipes in our cross streams and in people’s driveways were stopped up with leaves, brush, and other debris such as litter that was causing an issue.”
Burchett said the county and state highway department will need to evaluate how to proceed with repairs.
“The rain washed the pipe down into the woods and we haven’t been able to take a look at it because it has been so muddy. However, we are going to place a temporary pipe in there, and if the existing pipe is too damaged we are going to look at placing a bigger structure in that area,” Burchett said.
“If we can recover the existing pipe, it could take around a week for us to open that roadway back up. However, if it is too damaged, it could take two to three weeks to have a new structure delivered and put in place.”
Burchett said drivers will need to detour around the closed section of the road.
