Ouch. This summer’s closure of the tiny one-lane Proffit Road Bridge is coming back to haunt commuters this morning, now that a big ole sinkhole has shrunk Route 29 to just one lane near the Hollymead Town Center. Norfolk Southern just wants to keep the wood-planked bridge in good shape, so it began rebuilding it on June 20, a project now estimated to take three months.

Update 7/13 1:55pm: VDOT public affairs manager, Lou Hatter, tells the Hook that the sink hole was caused by a leak/hole in an underground drainage pipe, creating a kind of “vaccum effect” that has been eroding the earth beneath the road. While a lane of traffic has been closed for most of the day, Hatter says it should be back open before the evening commute. If you’d like more information on the sinkhole mishap, VDOT is holding a briefing about it today at 2:30pm at its Residence Office. Directions: 250 West, about mile or two past Pantops Mountain, turn left on VDOT Way.

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