PRESTON, MD - Sinkholes are becoming a growing concern in Caroline County, causing traffic disruptions and prompting emergency repairs. Notably, Gilpin Point Road in Preston, Maryland, has recently been affected, with a sudden appearance of a deep sinkhole causing unexpected traffic detours.
This incident is not the only one, as another sinkhole has emerged on Ischer Road in Federalsburg, MD. To address these infrastructure issues, Caroline County Commission President Travis Breeding revealed that emergency repairs have been greenlit to mitigate the impact on local residents and commuters.
"A project like this, close to the river in the critical area, could take over a year. It actually has to go before the Board of Public Works, which includes the Governor, Comptroller, and State Treasurer. It takes a long time to get the permits, but because this is an emergency, we can go ahead and waive those requirements and repair the pipe," explained Breeding.
The root cause of these sinkholes is attributed to rusted-out pipes. The pipe on Gilpin Point Road, designed to facilitate creek drainage into the Choptank River, succumbed to a combination of heavy rainfall and high tides. Similarly, Ischer Road faced a similar fate due to deteriorated pipes.
Breeding acknowledged that the county did not want the pipes to reach such a state of disrepair. He attributed the funding challenges to decisions made approximately a decade ago during the O'Malley administration. "Approximately 10 years ago, in order to balance the state budget, they cut the amount of revenue that counties and municipalities received from the highway user revenue fund," said Breeding. "So little rural counties have struggled to fill that gap and keep up with our infrastructure needs. The chickens are coming home to roost here — decades of not having enough funding to handle these issues."
Despite the inconveniences caused by the sinkholes, residents in the affected areas remain understanding. Steve Gaylor, a resident near Gilpin Point Road, commented, "Five minutes doesn't make any difference to us out here. A minor inconvenience. There is an upside – we don't have any traffic coming back here."
The Caroline County Commission aims to complete the repairs by the end of January. However, the broader issue of aging infrastructure and funding gaps continues to pose challenges for rural counties grappling with the aftermath of budget cuts from past administrations.
