Officials with the Department of Transportation say work will begin “soon” to address the sinkhole on Lystra Road.

A portion of the road near Jordan Lake was closed in January and detours were set up after the sinkhole developed.

A release says the department will award a contract to repair the road and the 35-foot embankment later this month.

Work is expected to begin by the second week of March.

Officials say both of the 72-inch culverts crossing underneath the roadway will need to be replaced due to damage from recent weather coupled with the age of the pipes. The release says the two pipes will be replaced with one larges culvert measuring 12-foot in diameter.

Officials call this an “extensive project” and expect the work to be completed by early June, barring any weather delays.

The sinkhole developed on Monday, January 19. The next day a second sinkhole started cracking the pavement along Jones Ferry Road in northern Chatham County. The road surrounding the second sinkhole is still closed as well and the last update from the DOT estimated the closure to last through February 26.

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