Willow Street in Mount Airy was reopened Friday after being closed for weeks due to a collapse.

A storm-drain problem had caused a section of pavement to cave in near Loftis HVAC Co., and after city public works crews investigated, they also found deteriorating water and sewer lines underneath the street which needed replacing.

“All of the utility work is done,” Public Services Director Jeff Boyles said Friday, “the storm drainage, the water replacement and the sewer replacement.”

Willow Street was closed to through traffic while the work was under way, which was accompanied by a giant hole spanning both lanes of travel. The well-used route cuts through residential neighborhoods in the center of town and links West Pine Street to West Lebanon Street.

The decision was made to “temporarily” reopen the street Friday, Boyles said, explaining that it is still not in optimum condition.

“Now we need to pave it,” the public services director said. With asphalt plants shut down for the winter, “we can’t get asphalt until mid-March, so that has to wait.”

Also yet to be completed are driveway and sidewalk repairs with concrete.

“We might be closing the street temporarily to finish some of that work,” Boyles said of the concrete and asphalt repairs. “But for the most part we’re just going to leave it alone and let the traffic help us with the compaction.”

The problem originated with the collapse of a catch basin in the storm-drainage system at the site located between West Elm Street and Churchill Lane.

“It was a big project for us — the hole was fairly deep,” Boyles said of the challenge facing public works crews. “It was more construction than we normally take on, but we felt like we could accomplish it and we did, so we’re pleased.”

Reach Tom Joyce at 719-1924 or tjoyce@civitasmedia.com.