LUMBERTON – Almost two dozen roads across Robeson County remained closed Monday after Tropical Storm Debby drenched the Sandhills with heavy rainfall.
Twenty-one of the roads still closed are secondary routes, but these primary routes also have closures: N.C. 72 and N.C. 904.
Phil Pittman, the Robeson County maintenance engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation, estimates half of these closures will require repairs to the roadway and/or crossline pipe. The department will be able to fully assess the damage and repair plans after the floodwater has receded.
For the other half of the locations where no damage is expected, the department will wait until the water has receded and inspect them for safety before reopening them; in some cases, the department's Bridge Maintenance unit will inspect any bridges after the water has receded before reopening those roads.
The county maintenance yard responded to more than 50 flood-related closures during this storm, plus numerous reports of downed trees that had to be cleared.
The department has logged the road closures and estimated timelines for reopening at DriveNC.gov. People may search under “Robeson County," or toggle on the “Tropical Storm Debby" button on the website.
The department will post updated information about the closures and repair timelines to DriveNC.gov.
NCDOT reminds people it's against the law to drive around barricades, which are used to ensure safety during a storm.