Breckenridge Texan

A portion of U.S. Highway 180, about a mile west of the Breckenridge city limits, is blocked off today, Monday, Feb. 4, after part of the road sunk in several inches over the culvert at a creek crossing. Texas Department of Transportation engineers and other personnel are on the scene, evaluating the area where the indentation developed Sunday evening.

“There is settling at a culvert in that location, and right now, crews are evaluating it  and trying to make a course of action,” said Lisa Tipton, the Public Information Officer for the TxDOT Brownwood region. “They’ve shifted the traffic to the shoulder in both directions, and they’re making an effort to keep that road open, in that aspect.”

The issue was first reported after 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3. The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the Breckenridge police and fire departments, provided traffic control until TxDOT employees arrived to install road blockades.

Once TxDOT has determined a solution to the problem, they will develop a timeline for the repairs, Tipton said. Until the repairs are finished, the area will be considered a work zone and speed limits may be reduced.

A portion of U.S. Highway 180, about a mile west of the Breckenridge city limits, is blocked off, after an indentation developed in the road over a culvert at a creek crossing on Sunday evening. Texas Department of Transportation engineers and other employees were on the scene Monday morning evaluating the situation. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Story by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan

Cutline, top photo: Engineers and other employees with the Texas Department of Transportation evaluate the culvert on U.S. Highway 180 West where a portion of the roadway sunk Sunday evening. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)