A section of Highway 42 in Johnston County was closed for about 12 hours due to a sinkhole.
Construction work has been underway for months on widening Highway 42 east of Clayton from two to four lanes between Glen Laurel Road and Buffalo Road. As part of the widening project, a tunnel was recently dug and an 84 inch steel drainage pipe was installed under Highway 42 near Brookhaven Drive.
Earlier in the week, crews noticed a dip beginning to form in the roadway directly above the drainage pipe. Crews had planned to close Highway 42 to fix the problem midday Friday. However, by 10:30PM Thursday the pavement had dropped about 4 inches and a decision was made to close the roadway due to safety concerns.
Traffic was diverted off Highway 42 between Motorcycle Road and Neuse River Parkway last night and again this morning (Friday) until additional asphalt could be placed over the dip. Both directions of Highway 42 were fully reopened to traffic around 10:30AM.
The Highway 42 East widening project is currently on schedule and should be completed by the Summer of 2022.
