APEX, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wednesday's heavy rain left a trail of damage and flooded out roadways in areas across the Triangle.
In Southwestern Wake County, Olive Chapel Road, a main east-west artery through Apex, saw some of the worst damage when a large sinkhole formed over Beaver Creek, closing the road indefinitely. That damage is creating traffic headaches for those trying to get from downtown Apex to the area near 540.
"For me to go to Apex, I have to drive all the way around and come up 64 and then come back around. So it'll be an aggravation," said Charles Pope, a homeowner whose property sits next to the sinkhole.
On Thursday, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) said it will be upgrading the culvert at Beaver Creek, where the sinkhole formed, at a cost of more than $2 million.
The department said it is working to finalize plans to design the project, gain additional right-of-way, and relocate utilities in the roadway in order to replace the pipes, which were nearing the end of their lifespan.
There's no current timeline for the road's reopening, which Pope said will be the latest closure in the rapidly developing area.
"They're working on trying to put a road over that Apex Parkway over Highway 1, and so that's already blocked off. So I think it's going to be a real headache for people for quite some time," he said.
Just up the road at Yagg Sii Tenn Authentic African Cuisine, owner and chef Papa Fall expects the closure to have an impact on his bottom line, but he's trying to take it in stride.
"That's a main road that traffic goes by, in and out. Olive Chapel, of course. So I know that it's probably going to put a damper on the customer-ship. But, hey, if it's worth it to them, they're probably going to make a detour," he said.
Fall told ABC11 he's seen traffic on Olive Chapel Road increase in recent years, and the closure could create some challenges for his food delivery.
"Shipping, delivering, and doing a lot of stuff is probably going to, you know, put like a few more minutes on our deliveries route in on our daily commute and whatnot," Fall said.
Mayor Jacques Gilbert told residents to check the town's social media platforms and the NCDOT for the latest information, and preached patience to drivers while they work to get the road back up.
"We know it's going to be an inconvenience and we just ask everyone to, you know, remain patient, adapt to this, you know, temporary new normal. And then hopefully it'll get back up and running as soon as possible," he said.