Old Coachman Road Reopens As Repair Work Begins

CLEARWATER, FL — Motorists who use Old Coachman Road to get around may want to plan for some delays as Pinellas County begins work to repair a depression that opened up early Wednesday morning. While both south- and northbound traffic is being allowed to move through the area, county officials say one lane is off limits in the immediate vicinity of the depression.

According to the county, the shallow depression opened up on Old Coachman just south of Coachman Road Wednesday morning. The hole is estimated to be about 4 feet wide, 4 feet long and about a half-foot deep, an email from Pinellas County said.

"Crews are locating nearby underground utilities before proceeding with repairs," the email noted. "Crews also tested the substrate beneath the nearby roadway surface and the area of the depression and determined that it is solid and not indicative of a sinkhole."

Old Coachman Road's southbound lane was open to traffic around 1 p.m. Wednesday. The northbound lane is closed at the depression, but county officials say motorists are being assisted through the area to keep traffic flowing in both directions.

Repairs are expected to be complete by sometime Wednesday afternoon, the county said.

Keep up with what’s happening by following Clearwater Patch on Facebook.

Image via Shutterstock