PETERSBURG, Va. — One week after floodwaters caused part of a tunnel and building to partially collapse in Petersburg, Bank Street has reopened.
At Salon Bliss, business continued while the street in front of the shop had remained blocked.
“The last week has been pretty crazy,” Megan Weaver with Salon Bliss said.
Flood waters from a storm on Aug. 29 had to pass through a section of a centuries-old tunnel that became exposed. That led to a partial collapse of the former DMV building.
“It is very close to here, yes, it’s right across the street,” Weaver said.
The city spent much of the past week working to make sure Bank Street did not collapse and cause damage to other buildings.
“[We] put in standard riprap, which is maybe volleyball size,” Petersburg Public Works Director Jerry Byerly explained. “Then came back in yesterday and put in large pieces of riprap that will hopefully withstand the rush of water if there is another large storm. So we have essentially stabilized this bank and got the water back into the channel where it ought to be.”
City officials said they have the problem stabilized, but the street closure is another issue for neighbors.
“A lot of people come through here to get to the other side of Petersburg or get to downtown Petersburg, so there’s a lot of traffic through here,” Gloria Hill, who lives and works on Bank Street, said.
The old DMV building, which partially collapsed during the storm, has been condemned by Petersburg building officials.
And there is another sinkhole near the initial site of the collapse.
“It’s roped off now,” Byerly said. “We’ve had the engineers look at it and waiting for a report from them.”
Officials are also waiting on a final report to determine if the tunnel gets closed back up or will remain open.
“There’s discussion about leaving the channel, once it’s dug out and repaired,” Byerly said. “By leaving it open, making a park. There’s all kinds of discussions.”
While there have been no decisions about how Brickhouse Run Creek will look in the future, the report from engineers is expected to be back in 60 to 90 days.
WATCH: Deluge in centuries-old stormwater tunnel causes Old Towne Petersburg building to partially collapse
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