Clean-up work after Tropical Storm Debby continues, roads remain closed

Two roads in Prince Edward County are still closed a week after Tropical Storm Debby. And according to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), it will be at least a few more weeks before these roads can be reopened.

“The most significant damage occurred on Sulfur Springs Road (Route 657),” said VDOT engineer Scott Frederick. “A sewer line was washed away.”

Frederick said at a meeting with Prince Edward County supervisors on Tuesday, Aug. 13, that VDOT mobilized a contractor on Saturday to begin repair work in the area. But that will require more than just replacing the culvert and filling it. The road will need to be rebuilt and the guardrail reinstalled.

“Sometimes you look at something and say, oh, the culvert wasn’t damaged, it just needs to be refilled,” Frederick said, adding that this is not one of those cases. He said there is a lot of repair to be done. Frederick estimated it will take a couple of weeks to complete repairs to the Sulphur Springs culvert and then another couple of weeks to rebuild the road.

“We expect it to be finished in two months,” said Frederick. “There is still a lot of work ahead of us.”

Route 609 is also under repair and remains closed around the bridge.

“There’s a small area of ​​the bridge deck where the railing is damaged and needs to be repaired,” Frederick said. “They’re also still working on removing a lot of debris from under the bridge. I think we’ve got a couple more days before we can reopen it.”

Frederick said VDOT crews are still removing tree debris in spots throughout Prince Edward County, and it will likely be at least the end of this week before they are finished with that project.

Tropical Storm Debby was difficult to predict

Frederick said VDOT was prepared, but sometimes a storm like this is difficult to predict. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the Appomattox River would crest at 16.5 feet, he pointed out. That was the data other government groups, like the city of Farmville, used. Instead, it reached 21.9 feet before cresting and flooding the area.

The shoulder of Route 634 was washed away. This has since been repaired and replaced.

Another unexpected result of the storm was that it seemed to encourage grass growth in certain areas. Frederick said VDOT has received a number of complaints about grass this week and is working to address those as well.

“After the drought was over, the rain seemed ready to grow,” Frederick said. “Now we have (heavy) rain and the Johnson grass in particular has shot up. We’re trying to get through the back roads and do what we call a safety cut.”

You only drive through once and cut everything back to improve visibility on the straight roads. VDOT also cuts the grass back at intersections so that it doesn’t obstruct visibility there either.