Neighbors demand 'concrete answer' years after sinkhole closed Petersburg street: 'It's alarming'

PETERSBURG, Va. -- Years after a Petersburg street started caving in, neighbors say there's been nothing done to fix it.

"We're nearing a period of about three years now," said Calvin Marlow, who lives near the Oak Hill Bridge, now closed between the Oak Hill neighborhood and Crater Road, one of Petersburg's major thoroughfares.

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Marlow and other residents said the road closure tacks on extra drive time, sometimes upward of 10 minutes, to get out of the neighborhood.

"It's actually put the community in a state of distress," Marlow explained. "It's alarming that the City has not taken the issue up in a more urgent manner."

Marlow said he worries about his elderly and disabled neighbors who struggle to drive the windy paths through the neighborhood to get to doctor's appointments or the post office.

"Their life, health, and safety is actually put in jeopardy because emergency services have to go 10 minutes out of their way just get in this community, now with this main thoroughfare cut off," Marlow said. "Minutes count. A person's life is on the line when emergency services or the police services have to go an extended route just to get into the community, even when it's only a few seconds away from this direction."

In August, CBS 6 met with residents living nerby who were told it would only take a matter of weeks for the road to be repaired.

"The question becomes, what's going on with the taxpayer's money? What's the local government doing with the taxpayer's money from the City of Petersburg?" Marlow asked.

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Why this road has been closed for more than a year: 'I want my street open'

Wayne Covil

According to Petersburg's 2023-2024 Fiscal Year budget, adopted in May of 2023, the Oak Hill Road Bridge was listed as an "unfunded project" costing about $1.78 million. The budget says the City would seek funding from the Build Back Better federal grant program.

The City told CBS 6 senior reporter Wayne Covil in August that it requested money from the General Assembly in 2023 to pay for the road work, but the request was denied.

In November, just a few months later, the City approved its legislative requests to send to the General Assembly, including a request for $3.5 million for the road repairs.

When repairs to the ground will happen, though, is still up in the air.

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"That is what the local community is looking for," Marlow said. "A concrete answer as to when this will be repaired."

CBS 6 did reach out to Petersburg City for an update on the Oak Hill Bridge but did not hear back over the weekend.

This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.