HILLSBORO — A 72-inch culvert pipe in the driveway of a North High Street shopping center in Hillsboro folded in on itself and rose above its normal position late Friday night, according to Hillsboro Public Works Superintendent Shawn Adkins.
Adkins said the water underneath the pipe floated it upward, making the bottom of the pipe fold in on itself. He said he learned about water running over North High Street at 10 p.m. Friday.
Adkins said that he has seen that kind of thing happen with smaller pipes, but not with a pipe this big in Hillsboro before. He said the pipe was installed in the 1970s.
John Franks, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Wilmington, said Highland County received three to four inches of rain in the last seven days, with the southern and southeastern areas of the county at around two to three inches over the same period.
According to data from the NWS, Hillsboro received 2.55 inches of rain on Saturday, June 19, and .71 inches of rain on Sunday, June 20.
A portion of the paved entryway to The Hillsboro Plaza that houses Alley 21 and the Highland Lanes bowling alley collapsed due to the pipe’s failure.
Reach Jacob Clary at 937-402-2570.
