City staff repairing small part of sinkhole near Sanford Drive

City staff are repairing a small part of the sinkhole near Sanford Drive today, which first opened on the property of the United States Post Office, and has continued to grow and now threatens infrastructure belonging to the City.

Staff have monitored the situation since the sinkhole first appeared. The sinkhole is on property belonging to the United States Post Office, and is not the responsibility of the City to repair. However, the sinkhole has continued to grow, and is now threatening the integrity of a sewer main belonging to the City. This sewer main runs beneath Sanford Drive, which is a road belonging to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The Post Office has informed the City that it will be months before they repair the sinkhole on their property. With the express permission of NCDOT, the City made the decision to repair the small portion of the sinkhole closest to Sanford Drive that is threatening the integrity of the City’s sewer main. This is a preventative measure to keep the sinkhole from damaging the City’s sewer main. The City has notified the Post Office we will be requesting reimbursement for the cost of repairs to the portion of the sinkhole closest to Sanford Drive.

The sinkhole remains the responsibility of the United States Post Office to repair, as it is located on their property and is a private drainage issue. Repairs being made by the City today are to ensure our water and sewer system can continue effectively serving our citizens.