A broken section of wooden roadway railing lay suspended horizontally just above the Lunenburg County river, caught up by the banks on either side.

Behind it, a chunk of pavement bearing the white line of the shoulder dropped steeply down into the river below, leaving above it the thick crust of the rim of the road from which it had snapped off.

It was a dramatic sight on Highway 208 just outside New Germany early Wednesday morning after a culvert collapsed, taking a piece of the road with it and leaving a gaping hole in one lane of the two-lane road.

Provincial Transportation Department spokesman Darcy MacRae said someone in the area called the department early Tuesday evening to report the collapse.

It meant the South Shore regional school board had to immediately jump into action.

Gilbert Jackson, the board’s transportation analyst, said staff worked until about 10 p.m. developing a plan to ensure about 60 students would get to school on time, despite a detour in the area.

Staff were back at it at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday putting that plan in place and notifying parents of what was going on.

It means some New Germany area students will have to get up 20 minutes earlier for the next little while — in theory at least — to ensure they get to school on time.

Jackson said two buses, numbers 281 and 283, serve the area, but bus 281 will be rerouted to pick up students who live between Ohio Road and New Germany.

Of those, only students who live between North River Road and New Germany on Highway 10 and Copeland Road will be picked up 20 minutes earlier than usual and dropped off 20 minutes later.

Jackson said the bus will begin picking up students at 7:40 a.m. and the last will be dropped off at 4 p.m.

Students who live on Highway 208 between Ohio Road and Hemford will be picked up at their regular times, but by bus 283.

MacRae said a structural engineer was on site Wednesday morning to begin his investigation into what happened and to determine the best options for repairing or replacing the culvert.

“The culvert wasn’t scheduled for repairs, as we were not aware of any concerns.”

Until that repair or replacement plan is finalized, it is difficult to know how long the crossing will be closed, he said.

“The department will make every effort to complete the repair or replacement as quickly as possible.”

The department will begin removing debris from the river as soon as it has the necessary environmental approvals.