Sinkhole in Beech Bottom to be Addressed

An ongoing sinkhole problem in Beech Bottom is one step closer to being resolved, as local officials have gotten word that the larger issue — a failing underground drainage line — will be repaired.
The issue has been ongoing for years and has recently gotten worse with a large sinkhole along Route 2 that has opened twice in the last month. Officials have blocked it off and filled it with large boulders to prevent further damage.
The village has learned that federal aid from FEMA will be coming for the project, though there is no construction start date.
“As far as I know, once we get the actual notice to proceed, we can schedule groundbreaking, the contractors can finally start digging some dirt,” Beech Bottom Mayor Becky Uhlly said. “We have to have a pre-construction meeting, but that shouldn’t take very long once the process begins.”
The volume of traffic on Route 2 is the main concern for officials, as any greater issue with the sinkhole would have not only a safety impact on the region, but an economic one if traffic has to be detoured.
“When school starts back up in August, that’s a bus route,” Brooke County Commissioner AJ Thomas said. “Oil and gas traffic travels on that road, my parents travel on that road. It’s a public safety concern.”
The project will be a major endeavor, as crews will have to restrict traffic and deal with underground pipe replacement in a large area of the village.
“It’ll be from the bottom of 49 Hill, it goes under the church down the alley, and it goes clear to the river, so it’s a major project,” Uhlly said.
“49 Hill, from what I understand will not be closed, they’ll have to allow for one-way traffic.”
Once final approval is given, the project could take 3-to-6 months to complete.