One westbound lane of Canal Road leaving Georgetown reopened but work to fix a depression is expected to continue through the night.
A portion of westbound Canal Road NW was shut down about midday Friday between Foxhall Road and Arizona Avenue due to structural concerns, according to News4 transportation reporter Adam Tuss. The closure was "necessary for an emergency inspection of the roadway," a release from the D.C. Department of Transportation said.
The road is bowing inward, with a "depression" in the pavement near Fletcher's Boat House and Reservoir Road. DDOT called it a washout in progress about 40 feet long and 5-6 inches deep, Tuss reported.
"We're losing road material somehow underneath," said Paul Hoffman of DDOT. "Either it's going out through the wall, which there has been a history of a water break here, or it's going into the 48-inch sewer below it."
Officials fear that a driver could lose control after hitting the dip.
A source said engineers are "very concerned" about the structural integrity of the road.
Here's the "depression" on Canal. Road literally folds inward @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/90LQ2tR08l — Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) March 28, 2014
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Canal Road closure will cause commuting problems for the rest of the day for commuters from DC,MD,VA — Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) March 28, 2014
