Flood Damage Closes Spotsylvania Road Until June: Report

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VA — Damage caused by intense rains over the weekend has led the Virginia Department of Transportation to close part of a road in Spotsylvania County until June, according to a media report. VDOT announced Monday that a section of Benchmark Road (Route 608) south of Fredericksburg, between U.S. 17 and Mine Road, will be closed to through traffic, the Free Lance-Star reported.

The erosion from the rains caused a hole to open up on the side of the road that measures 5 feet wide, 14 feet long and 8 feet deep, the Free Lance-Star reported.

The hole resulted from the failure of three drainage pipes underneath the road, VDOT said in a release. All lanes on Benchmark Road will be closed as soon as VDOT crews install detour signs and message boards. The agency said that crews will then place concrete barriers to close the road.

Traffic will be detoured from State Route 2 (Tidewater Trail) to U.S. 17 (Mills Drive), the newspaper reported.

In its release, VDOT said that an average of 5,100 vehicles a day travel Benchmark Road between Route 17 and Mine Road.

Image: Patch