VIDEO: The South Carolina Department Department of Transportation says it hopes to reopen the section of US 17A washed out by flooding yesterday by August 12. To "expedite repairs" SCDOT said it is utilizing an emergency procurement to get a contractor on site quickly. The department expects the contractor will begin work next week. The road was immediately closed Wednesday after a chunk of Hendersonville Highway collapsed just south of Walterboro, forming a massive sinkhole. Officials said a woman and her son drove into the hole around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and managed to escape without any injuries. “They’ve got a detour set up and they’ve got the road blocked off. You can see the dirt. The primary thing is to keep somebody from running into it,” said Colleton County Fire Rescue Fire Chief Barry McCroy. “There’s about a 40-foot section of highway missing, and obviously it’s washed out."