The hole is filled. The road is open. Commutes are restored.

Montgomery County Highway Services announced late Wednesday afternoon that Father Hurley Boulevard in Germantown has reopened to traffic after a sinkhole closed one of Germantown’s most used thoroughfares for a week and a half.

The announcement came from Montgomery County Highway Services via Twitter at 6:57 pm on Wednesday, August 1. The road was closed in both directions for 10 days.

The sinkhole opened when a 38-year-old culvert pipe failed on Sunday, July 22, in the area between Wynnfield Drive and Beaconfield Terrace. Bruce Johnston, Chief of the Division of Transportation Engineering for the Montgomery County Department of Transportation told Germantown Pulse last week that the sinkhole was the result of the massive amounts of rain the area had experienced between July 17 and July 22, coupled with an aging piece of infrastructure.

Johnston explained that while the 20 by 20 sinkhole opened on the southbound lanes, the road had been closed in both directions because the culvert ran under both lanes of traffic. He said that County was aware of the decaying culvert, but was only made aware of its existence in January of this year.

Photos by Germantown Pulse.