Eastbound Wilkinson Blvd. shut down after road washes away

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Commuters driving into Charlotte from Gaston County may find it slow going this week.

A portion of the roadbed under Wilkinson Boulevard near Sam Wilson Road washed away after a drain pipe under the road gave way. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has closed all three eastbound lanes while they run a camera into the drain and look for the source of the break.

The DOT said they expect to keep all inbound lanes of Wilkinson Boulevard closed through the weekend, and they are planning to detour drivers onto Old Dowd Road and then to Sam Wilson Road while the repair work is done.

Traffic Team 9 reporter Mark Taylor suggests avoiding the area all-together.

A paving contractor noticed the washout late Monday and contacted a friend at the DOT, and on Tuesday afternoon a crew began cutting away the pavement to make the repairs.

"Basically with the heavy rains we think there was a joint in the pipe that was probably compromised," said Jeff Littlefield, who is the engineer overseeing the repair.

Littlefield said the heavy rain probably caused the problem that is going to take some time to fix.

"I'm going to say a few days, the best case scenario it could be a few days, but we'll know more tomorrow once we get the camera in to assess the situation," he said.

Officials said the road could be closed for repairs through Sunday.