West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) work crews are digging out the area around a sinkhole that developed on US 19 in Beckley in preparation for permanent repairs.
A two-foot sinkhole developed in the outer southbound lane of US 19 near the King Tut Drive-In early on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023. Joe Pack, P.E., WVDOH Chief Engineer of District Operations, believes either an old drainage pipe failed or a water line broke, allowing water to wash away the dirt underneath the highway.
| “Water is our worst enemy when we’re dealing with roads,” said Pack. “We’re working closely with the Beckley sanitary board and the water company to determine the best way to proceed.” |
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| WVDOH work crews were digging out the area around the sinkhole on Wednesday afternoon to determine the exact cause of the road failure. Crews planned to either reroute the drain pipe or repair the water line before filling in the hole and making permanent repairs. |
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However, Pack said, “This is going to be a multiple day process.” WVDOH work crews will make repairs as quickly as possible on the stretch of road, which carries about 25,000 cars a day.
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