Preliminary estimates from a local engineering firm show it could cost the city of Opp upward of a half million dollars to fix a pipe issue at a local restaurant.

City Planner Jason Bryan told the city council Monday night that the drive through at Burger King, located at 505 East Cumming Ave., fell in recently due to a pipe rusting.

“We patched it and put new asphalt and it fell in again,” he said.

Bryan said that engineer Bob Carter of Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, was already in town working on another project and he asked him to survey the situation.

Bryan said he had a conference call with Burger King officials.

He said they indicated they would help with the curb, gutter and asphalt.

“It’s an expensive project,” he said. “We are going to divert the water away from the building the best we can.”

The area in question is already a flood zone and flooded last year significantly.

Bryan said engineers believe it will be better to upsize the pipe to a 5×8 pipe from the current 48-inch pipe and use a concrete pipe instead of a steel one.

“The numbers seem a little high,” he said.

Bryan said they had to get a set of specs drawn and then it takes 30 days to take bids on the project.

“We are looking at 45 to 60 days,” he said. “This is a major project.”

Bryan said the city put in the pipe in 1993 and Burger King was built in 1996.

“The responsibility is shared to an extent,” he said.

However, Bryan said that all of the water from city hall, from Stewart and from Opp High School running to Indian Creek runs through that pipe to Barnes and Samuel.