LEHIGH ACRES, Fla.- Lehigh Acres crews ripped up five culverts that have fallen apart since the 80s.

The East County Water Control district inspects them every five years to make sure they're secure

"It is a physical inspection looking at the road for depressions looking at the ends of the pipe."

David Lindsay said once the concrete pipes go in they will hold up for up to 80 years.

The metal culverts didn't have that long of a lifespan.   

"The worst thing that can happen is a vehicle falls in a sinkhole then you have a road closures that wasn't planned for."

Monday's road closure at Homestead Road and Leeland Heights wasn't planned.

U.S. Water said a pipe that was about fifty years old cracked.

Florida Governmental Utility Authority said that wasn't the first time pipes under the ground in that area burst.

Still, they said they have no procedures in place to inspect the pipes or replace them when they get to a certain age.

They said there are simply too many pipes and it's too expensive.

The project is expected to be complete by the end of March.