Sinkhole near school in South Carolina

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Tropical storm conditions today might dampen ***** County classes and the repair of a sinkhole on ****** Parkway, but neither students nor construction workers will take a raincheck on their work.

Schools were expected to be open as usual today, *****, the communications director for ******County schools, said Sunday. Students might be uncomfortable getting to school because of the rain, he said, but classes will convene provided the weather was not upgraded by midnight Sunday to hurricane status.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, the threat of Tropical Storm Gordon prompted ****** County's Emergency Management Department to call for "operational condition readiness 4, a precautionary step that urges all county residents to monitor a storm for potential wind and rain hazards.

Despite the forecast of two to four inches of rain today, work was expected to continue on pipes in a sinkhole near Hilton Head Resorts on the ***** Parkway.

The pavement on U.S. 278 collapsed early Wednesday because of a pipe leak beneath the roadway, stalling traffic until the highway was closed from Folly Field Road to Cracker Barrel restaurant on Thursday. Drivers headed to the middle and south end of Hilton Head Island have been diverted to the Cross Island Parkway, and tolls were waived.

Engineers and construction workers have worked around the clock to correct the pipe problem and cover the sinkhole. The repairs are expected to be complete by Thursday, or Friday at the latest if there's a downpour, said *****, president of ***** Construction.

****** has four crews on the job, with two working 12-hour shifts each day. They're replacing two lines of 72-inch reinforced concrete pipe beneath the roadway, but the biggest part of the job is keeping water out of the area, ****** said.

The sinkhole is between a lake in ******* on one side and the ****** on the other. The lake was drained Saturday and a dam was built around the pipe on the ****** side of the sinkhole. But the creek remains a challenge as saltwater seeps into the sinkhole during high tides, ******* said. Six big pumps are operating to keep water out of it, he said.

"A two- to four-inch rain isn't going to stop us."

Rain might slow progress, but crews will remain on site to continue their work after the rain or storm passes. The only thing that would stop the work would be a hurricane, ****** said.