The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has reopened US-231 following extensive work to reinforce its foundation in St. Clair County following ongoing sinkhole impacts.
ALDOT contractors have finished excavating the site and filled it in with multiple layers of stone and geogrid material.
Closed Monday morning for the repair, the site reopened to traffic Tuesday evening.
Motorists should expect additional alternating lane closures Wednesday to allow the contractor to lay down the final driving surface.
In late July 2025, crews made emergency repairs to the site north of SR-174 when the deep sinkhole was first uncovered.
Sinkholes are relatively common in Alabama due to underground limestone deposits which can dissolve over time and develop subterranean voids.
Following a thorough geotechnical study, ALDOT chose to excavate the sinkhole Monday to further strengthen the highway’s foundation.
This week’s work required thru-traffic to use SR-174 and US-411 as a detour around the construction.
We want to thank the public for their patience on this project to ensure motorists’ safety.
ALDOT engineers are confident the latest measures to shore up the ground under US-231 should prevent significant settling moving forward.
