CAMDEN, S.C. — Residents in Camden are increasingly worried about road troubles in the heart of their city as a sinkhole on US Highway 1 causes significant disruptions.
The sinkhole, located at a busy intersection in downtown Camden, is slowing down traffic and sparking major concerns among locals.
"It's a problem no matter where it is, obviously downtown you have businesses and people making a living," said Joe Perrotta, a Camden resident.
The sinkhole is situated on one of Camden's main thoroughfares, US Highway 1, near Broad Street, causing frustration and inconvenience for those who frequently travel through the area.
"When you go down the hill, you have to quickly get over and move into the next lane, and it's hard to do that because so many people are moving here, and traffic has gotten so much crazier." " said Bailey Thomas, another Camden resident.
With roadwork already underway on bridges along I-20 and Highway 1, residents are growing increasingly impatient with the additional traffic cones and road issues.
"There's a huge concern among residents, here that they want to build more houses in the city and more houses in the county and we're having problems with the infrastructure, and we can't support what we have," added Perrotta.
The City of Camden announced Friday that the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) had closed one lane of the road due to the sinkhole. SCDOT provided a statement to News19, explaining that they closed the lane
"SCDOT closed one lane in the roadway in this area in order to determine the source of an apparent drainage issue and make repairs. Crews are inspecting the drainage system below the road surface this week and we do not have more details to share about the repair timeline at this point."
Residents are hoping for a swift resolution to the problem. "We need to get on top of it before it gets worse and worse," Thomas said.
Again, SCDOT has not provided a detailed timeline for the repairs.