(07/17/05 12:35 pm) Piney Branch Road will be closed between Ray Road and Ritchie Avenue on Sunday, July 17. The closure will continue until steel plates can be set on the roadway. An small parking lot and ballfield also will be closed.
The closure results from a sinkhole at the line between the Lee Jordan Field and the small parking lot in the 7700 block of Piney Branch Road. Currently the sinkhole is about 20 by 9 feet and about nine feet deep. The hole itself undercuts a portion of the parking lot, which is in Montgomery County jurisdiction. Because Piney Branch Road is a state highway, State Highway (SHA) staff responded and will be setting steel plates on the roadway. At their recommendation, the parking lot will be closed.
Takoma Park Police and SHA have closed Lee Jordan Field to recreational use for the day. More information on the extent of the closures will not be available until a full assessment has been completed.
Posted by Police at July 17, 2005 12:44 PM