Steamroller Swallowed by Large Sinkhole in Orem - Salt Lake City, Utah
Discovered August 24

OREM -- With the help of a crane, a steam roller that went head-first into a sink hole in Orem was finally removed.

The roller sank approximately 15 feet into the road near near 1100 W. and 1200 North, after driving over what appeared to be solid ground.

According to a spokesperson for Clyde Companies, the roller may have caused damage to a gas line running through the area, and several surrounding homes were evacuated.

Orem city officials are evaluating the damage, but it is not yet known when those evacuated will be able to return, or the severity of the damage.

According to the spokesperson, the roller has broken sewage lines, and sewage is currently leaking into the hole.

The operator was able to jump away from the roller as it sank, and was not injured in the incident.

What caused the sinkhole to form initially is still under investigation.

Large Sinkhole Closes Road in Charlotte, North Carolina

Discoved August 26

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - A section of Park Road is closed to all traffic this weekend due to a 24-inch water main break and sinkhole.

The water main broke just before 11:00 Friday night, causing the giant sinkhole in the middle of the road.

This is in the 7200 block of Park Road near Forest Hill Church and about a mile from South Mecklenburg High School.

No one was hurt, but the sinkhole is about 15 feet wide and has the road shut down between Huntingtown Farms Lane and Goneway Road.

Work is under way to provide access from southbound Park Road to Forest Hill Church for services beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening. The road is closed to all other traffic.

Water service in the area is not impacted.

Crews are mobilized and onsite, and officials are working to determine next steps in the repair process for both the water line and the roadway. More information will be available early next week related to the length of the repair as well as when the road will be accessible to thru traffic.

Residents in the area are strongly advised to stay out of the marked work zone for safety reasons.

The following detour is in place:

Inbound: From Park Rd. make a right onto the 6900 block Sharon Rd, bear left on Sharon to Fairview Rd. make a left onto Fairview to the 5500 block of Park Rd.

Outbound: At the 7000 block of Park South Dr to Fairview Rd. Right on Fairview to Sharon Rd. Right onto Sharon Rd, back to Park Rd.

No word on what caused the water line to break.

Huge Sinkhole Consumes Highway in New Jersey

Discovered August 28

A sink hole on Route 33 in Tinton Falls has "consumed two eastbound lanes," according to deputy office of emergency management coordinator David Boehning.

The sink hole, located between Shafto Road and Wardell Road, is growing, said Boehning via e-mail, making the westbound lanes unsafe. The Tinton Falls Police Department has closed the roads involved and traffic has been diverted by the NJ Division of Transportation, he said.

A natural gas contractor is on location to maintain the "integrity of the two gas mains within the sinkhole," said Boehning.

All emergency vehicles that use this stretch of Hwy 33 to access Jersey Shore Medical, will have to use an alternate route.

20 Sinkholes Plague Streets in Pierre, South Dakota

Discovered August 28
video

PIERRE, SD - As the Missouri River in Pierre sinks lower, so are nearly two dozen gaping holes in the middle of city streets.

"We have about 20 sink holes now and some of them are big enough to swallow a truck and some of them are only three feet across," Pierre city administrator Leon Schochenmaier said.

High ground water caused by unprecedented flooding is to blame for the sinkholes. But they are just a symptom of a much deeper problem. Material is seeping into underground storm sewer pipes causing voids which buckle the streets above.

"The sinkhole is just one indicator of the problem," Schochenmaier said. "What you see in the depression in the street is the curvature accruing in other areas of the street. It just hasn't buckled yet. It could get worse. It probably will get worse."

At this point, no one knows exactly how bad the problem is. City engineers must wait for water levels to drop before they can inspect the issues. But one thing is for sure.

"We have major damage to our storm sewer system. And it is going to take several million dollars to repair and replace it," Schochenmaier said.

Because the water levels are still dropping, city officials say they probably can't fix anything until next year at the earliest. In the meantime, the city plans to fill the holes with gravel and plow around them during the winter months.

And while the sinkholes are still wide open, the city says no one has been hurt by falling or crashing into them.

Huge Sinkhole Opens in Forks Township, Pennsylvania

Discovered August 28

A sinkhole spanning about 25 yards and as wide as a car opened up behind a block a stores at 1855 Sullivan Trail on Sunday, forcing the stores to temporarily close.

The stores include Big Woody's and Jasmine restaurants, Supercuts, Verizon Wireless and Ivy Cleaners.

According to the building's owner, Joe Posh, the hole opened during the early-morning hours Sunday as the result of a ruptured water line. Water and gas lines have been shut down and signs on the stores from the Forks Township Fire Department say the stores are unsafe for occupancy.

The stores will remain closed for at least two days. Employees from Big Woody's and Ivy Cleaners were at the stores today removing items.

According to Posh, it will likely be several more days before the sinkhole can be fixed. It is not clear if the ruptured water line was the result of Hurricane Irene.

The nearby Walgreens and Ace Hardware stores did not sustain any damage and are open for business as usual.

Sinkhole Closes Road in Phillipsburg, New Jersey

Discovered August 28

A sinkhole off of Route 22 in Lopatcong Township has closed two westbound lanes of the highway, and police said the closures could last until late in the evening.

The sinkhole developed in the parking lot of Meineke Car Center between South Fourth and South Fifth streets.

Lopatcong Township police said two of the three traffic lanes are closed, and are expected to remain blocked until midnight.

Lopatcong Township officials said the problem is a broken sewer line and crews are at the site.

Mysterious Sinkhole Opens at YMCA Soccer Field - Wilmington, North Carolina
Discovered August 29

Wilmington Family YMCA employees were in for a surprise Monday morning: a 15-foot-wide sinkhole in their soccer field.

No one knows what exactly spawned the hole, which was neatly round and between 7 and 10 feet deep.

"It still seems to be a little bit of a mystery," said Kelly Pittman, the YMCA's resource development director.

The YMCA hired contractors to come investigate the sinkhole and fill it.

Wesley Corder, a project engineer with Thomson & Co., said he could not identify a cause. Corder probed more than 16 feet down from the surface and found no evidence of water from an old well or some other structure. He has seen sinkholes in Castle Hayne, but not in Wilmington.

He said there is about two feet of clay at the surface, then sand below it. If the sand gets wet, he said, it can liquefy and create a sinkhole.

"Typically, they happen after a major rain event," he said. Over the weekend, Hurricane Irene dumped at least 7 inches of rain on Wilmington as it churned offshore.

"Obviously, there's some cause," said Dick Jones, the YMCA's chief executive officer, while looking into the hole.

Tuesday morning, a backhoe was packing down dirt into the hole. Jones said soccer starts in two weeks, so they wanted the hole filled. The YMCA happened to be closed this week for regular maintenance.

"This was an unexpected project," Jones said, smiling. "It wasn't on our list of to-dos."

Huge Sinkhole Closes Road in Ossining, New York

Discovered August 30

The huge sinkhole on North State Rd. between Pleasantville Rd. and 9A is going to be problem for Ossining and Croton drivers for the foreseeable future (see picture). The sinkhole extends across the entire road and prevents motorists from entering the gas station on the corner.

Briarcliff Manor resident Peter Seissler could be seen taking a look at the huge hole in the road with his daughter. "It's a problem obviously, but there's 'x' amount of manpower in the municipal governments—and so you have to deal with it," said Seissler.

In Ossining cars could be seen driving right though the stoplight at the intersection of Campwoods Rd. and Croton Ave., which has lost power. Many motorists didn't even notice that they were driving right though a traffic signal. Officials say that the stoplight is the only one that is still out in Ossining.

There are currently 1,022 people without power in Ossining right now.

On Ossining's waterfront the owners of The Boathouse Restaurant are moving everything back inside their building. "We had to take everything out of the restaurant. It took a day. We lost food, we lost stuff sure," said the owner of The Boathouse Restaurant Val Polidoro. She says she hopes the restaurant will be open by tomorrow night or Thursday.

Sinkhole Swallows Man Cutting His Grass - Cleveland, Ohio
Discovered August 27

A man injured after falling into a sinkhole while cutting the grass in Cleveland.

It happened last Saturday on Clark Avenue.

Joe Duncan's entire leg was swallowed by the giant sinkhole. Duncan did have to be transported to the hospital. He has since been treated and released.

Duncan's family and the city have the gaping hole blocked off as a safety precaution until it can be properly fixed.

Truck Plunges into Huge Sinkhole in Passaic, New Jersey

Discovered Sept 1

A sinkhole at Eighth Street and Lodi Street, measuring 20 feet by 30 feet, and up to 20 feet deep, has indefinitely shut down Eighth Street, Police Capt. Russ Capuano said.

The collapse of a section of critical thoroughfare linking Wallington with Passaic threatens to snarel traffic in the area as officials anticipate at least a weeklong repair process.

The roadway connects with Wallington over the Eighth Street bridge. Residents and truck drivers are barred from traveling south on Eighth Street beyond the ShopRite supermarket near South Street, and can’t cross the bridge from Wallington unless they show proof they’re driving to a businesses south of Lodi Street.

An 18-wheel truck traveling Eighth Street fell nose-first into the sinkhole Thursday morning. A brick wall beneath the road prevented the truck from being swallowed whole. It did not appear that the driver was injured, police said.

“There’s no dirt under the street at all,” Capuano said. Police hope that the street will be repaired within a week, but it could take longer.

About a half dozen light industrial businesses south of the collapse still have access to Eighth Street and the ShopRite remains open. But, Wallington residents who shop there will need to traverse a maze of streets, many of which still are still closed because of extensive flooding in the hurricane’s wake.

Police believe the sinkhole resulted from flood damage to the street. Floodwaters had receded from the area when the sinkhole opened up.

A water main below the pavement also may have ruptured at the same time, police said.

“There was probably some slow deterioration over time, but the flood sped it up,” Capauno said.

A police officer will be stationed to at either end of the street until it is repaired. There is a fear that the hole could grow because of the extent of the damage below the street level.

Large Sinkhole in Galveston, Texas

Discovered August 31

GALVESTON — A waterline rupture the size of a football caused a large sinkhole to form Wednesday on Avenue Q between 44th and 45th streets, forcing maintenance crews to disconnect water service to residents living near the break.

No injuries were reported as a result of the crater in the roadway, Alicia Cahill, a city of Galveston spokeswoman, said.

The city received a report about 11:30 a.m. of a sinkhole that swallowed most of the eastbound lane of Avenue Q.

“It turned out to be a broken 8-inch water line,” Cahill said, noting crews were expected to have water restored Wednesday evening.

Cahill didn’t immediately know how many water customers were affected. Those living on Avenue Q east to 41st Street and north from Avenue P to 43rd Street were without water, she said. Crews were expected to be finished repairing the line about 8 p.m., Cahill said.

At noon, crews were busy draining water from the sinkhole, which was possibly 6 feet deep.

“The blowout on the 8-inch line was the size of a football,” Cahill said. “We can’t rule out drought as a possible cause.”

About 10 other waterline ruptures have been reported in Galveston since March.

The city put up road barricades, blocking Avenue Q traffic around the repair work.

Large Sinkhole Opens in Los Altos, California

Discovered September 2

Scores of San Antonio Hills residents lost service most of Friday from a pre-dawn water main break that flooded garages, yards and streets.

The California Water Service Company will restore service by 6 or 7 p.m. Friday to about 50 households in the San Antonio hills area in unincorporated Los Altos, a district manager said.

The pre-dawn water main break sent water flooding down Mora Drive, initially knocking out water service to more than 100 homes and opening up chunks of asphalt on the roadway.

"The plumbing is finished, and now we're putting in new material and road base over it," said Ronald Richardson, district manager for the utility, also known as Cal Water. Crews will put in temporary asphalt, and return over the next two weeks to install more permanent roadway.

The broken water main, an 8-inch pipe at the intersection of Mora Drive and Esberg Road, sent enough water to open a sinkhole at the intersection and inundate a garage and several backyards, including that of resident Peter Stanley.

"I went to the street at 6 a.m. to grab the newspaper and see the flood coming down the street," emailed Stanley, who lives on Mora Drive.

Richardson said that service was first restored to more than 50 percent of the homes initially affected by the break, but Cal Water spent most of Friday repairing the main.

The work attracted the curiosity of neighborhood children, who followed the progress all day. "One had a collection of toy construction equipment," Richardson said. "He had backhoes, bobcats and dump trucks, which was the same as the equipment he could see on the street today."

About 50 households, remained without water service during the repair, that involved replacing a small section of the 8" water main and possibly two valves, Richardson said.

The water company offered free bottled water to residents in the affected area and has disbursed several gallons so far, Richardson added.

The area without water service encompassed:

- Mora Drive (700 block and part of the 800 block)

- Thorsen Court

- Mora Court

- Esberg Road

- Hierra Court

"My wife was in the shower, and I think she got the last one in the neighborhood," Stanley quipped in his email.

Richardson said Cal Water received calls around 6 a.m. and had a crew on the scene within a half hour. Sheriff's deputies were on scene initially, said Sgt. Troy Smith of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department.

Richardson said the company does not yet know the reason for the water main break.

Earlier in the week, the water company had received calls reporting leakage and had investigated, but had not been able to perform repairs. Cal Water sent out an "underground service alert" to utilities that may have lines in the area, such as gas lines, electrical lines and the like, but the utilities had not yet had enough time to respond. Utilities are supposed to mark where their lines are so that Cal Water can use the appropriate equipment in the area.

"We were asking for other utilities to mark the area so we know if there are other utilities such as a gas main—or electrical or fiber optic—in close proximity, so we don't do more damage," he said.

Sinkhole Opens in K-mart Parking Lot - St. Albans, West Virginia
Discovered Sept 6

ST. ALBANS, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A portion of the K-mart parking lot in St. Albans is blocked off after a sinkhole was reported early Tuesday morning.

According to a news release, the sinkhole is at least five feet deep and about six feet in width.

 St. Albans Police say a woman's car nearly fell in it, but no one was hurt.

The property manager of the St. Albans Mall has been notified of the problem. Right now, the area around the sinkhole is blocked with caution tape to alert drivers of the situation.

Sinkhole Closes Road to Schools - Roanoke County, Virginia
Discovered Sept 7

William Byrd Middle and High Schools are closed after what appeared to be a sinkhole, swallowed up part of the only entrance to the schools.

Two engineers on the scene tell 10 On Your Side that a faulty drain pipe caused the road collapse. They say it's actually not a sinkhole.

Their plan is to put in a temporary fix Wednesday and hopefully reopen schools Thursday. A permanent repair would be made in the coming week.

Large Sinkhole Opens in Wenatchee, Washington

Discovered Sept 6

WENATCHEE — An 8-foot-wide sinkhole at one of the city’s busiest intersections has forced partial closure of a main thoroughfare and redirection of traffic.

At 1:30 p.m. today, the under-the-road hole at the corner of Miller Street and North Wenatchee Avenue, near the Igloo Tavern, was being investigated by city crews and traffic signals adjusted to help reroute traffic, said Steve King, city public works director for engineering.

Most traffic has been rerouted onto Mission Street, according to a city emergency traffic advisory. Efforts to estimate damage, excavate the sinkhole and temporarily repair the damage will likely continue into the evening.

Motorists first noticed a depression in the roadway this morning, said King. An initial investigation by city street crews found a “void,” said King, measuring up to 8-feet-wide under the asphalt. He said engineers believe an underground washout could have been caused by nearby irrigation pipe.

Other nearby pipes — sewer and irrigation — may also have been affected.

Meanwhile, at about 1:45 p.m., fire alarms signalling low water pressure sounded at several local businesses, including Walmart and Home Depot, to trigger brief evacuations of the stores. A Home Depot employee said customers waited outside about 10 or 12 minutes before being allowed to return to their shopping.

It was unknown if the sinkhole and the low-pressure alarms were connected.

Motorists are advised to avoid the intersection of Miller Street and Wenatchee Avenue until sinkhole repairs are completed.

JACKSON, MS (WLBT) -

Taking Back Our Neighborhoods went back to a Clinton subdivision where residents are battling enormous sinkholes because of drainage problems. After our last report, a Trailwood Drive resident let us know the ditch beside his house is caving in and eating away his property. 

We also received pictures in an email sent by Cristy Bath, showing a neighborhood dog named Shorty, being swallowed up by a big sinkhole on Pebble Lane. Shorty was rescued and, other than an injured hind leg, the pooch is okay. But residents are concerned it may be a child next time.

When Richard Brooks saw our report on the Pebble Lane drainage problems and resulting sinkholes, he invited me to see a similar situation at his Trailwood property a few blocks away.

Brooks said, "I think it's about a 52 inch galvanized pipe and it's starting to rust out and cave in and the whole yard has got sinkholes all the way down it."

Sinkholes so bad, Brooks' grandson almost fell into one as he tested the ground near the driveway. Brooks says he's gotten no where with complaints to Clinton city officials.

Brook said the streets even being impacted by it.

He said, "It's got some cracks in it. You can tell where the culvert goes through there, you know, and if it keeps on, it's going to cave in too, one of these days."

Brooks thinks the city should be responsible, but Mayor Rosemary Aultman made it clear in a previous interview about the problems in this neighborhood .

Aultman said, "While it is indeed a formidable situation, that it is the responsibility of the property owners."

The mayor continued, "Well, it's just not an easy solvable problem, but we've done a tremendous amount of drainage work in the city where we can, you know, legally do it and feasibly do it."

So, for Richard Brooks and others in the Trailwoods subdivision, it's back to the drawing board to find an answer to the drainage and sinkhole problems in their neighborhood.

http://www.wlbt.com/story/15554512/taking-back-our-neighborhoods-mo...

Sewer repairs at Third and Wooster delayed until Thursday night

Work will begin at 8 p.m. Thursday. The repairs are needed because of a collapsed pipe, which is causing a sinkhole.

Northbound traffic will be forced to turn right at Dawson Street and detoured to Fifth Avenue to Castle Street. Wooster Street will be closed east of the Third Street intersection. The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge will also be closed while repairs are made.

The work is expected to be finished by Friday morning.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110926/ARTICLES/110929764/1...

NYC repair crews ignoring sinkholes, 'Red Tape Report' finds

Published: Monday, September 26, 2011, 3:55 PM     Updated: Monday, September 26, 2011, 4:01 PM

Staten Island Advance/Irving SilversteinSinkholes plague Remsen Street at Evergreen Avenue, Dongan Hills, in this June 9 file photo.  

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- City repair crews are ignoring potentially dangerous sinkholes because callers to 311 are referring to them as potholes, according to a Red Tape Report released today by Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.

Existing procedures forward a 311 pothole complaint to the Department of Transportation, which dispatches an inspector, the report said.

But when the inspector discovers the damage is from a sinkhole, rather than a pothole, the case is dropped instead of being forwarded to the city Department of Environmental Protection, the agency that handles sinkholes.

A constituent only learns the case has been dropped if they call 311 again to check on the status of their complaint. The caller must then open a second case to refer the problem to DEP.

"This is a classic example of one hand of government not working with the other," de Blasio said.

"This bureaucracy is wasting taxpayer dollars. Agencies should forward these requests and inspection reports automatically and immediately respond to each other to get repairs made as quickly as possible."

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/nyc_repair_crews_ignor...

Malaysia: Sinkhole closes road in Puchong

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:00 CDT

© Farizul Hafiz Awang
Policemen standing guard beside the sinkhole in Jalan TK 5/1, Taman Kinrara, Puchong, last night.

SUBANG JAYA: A portion of the road leading to houses and shoplots in Section 5, Taman Kinrara, off Batu 9, Jalan Puchong, collapsed yesterday, leaving a six-metre deep and 4.5-metre wide sinkhole.

The incident happened at 2pm. The earth in the middle of the road suddenly caved in, leaving a hole deep enough to fit four cars.

Luckily, no road users fell into the hole, located near several apartments,

Serdang police chief Superintendent Abdul Razak Elias said police were notified about the sinkhole at Jalan TK 5/1 by residents, before several officers cordoned off the area.

"We decided to close the road pending investigations and repair works by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council."

A check at the scene showed policemen and officers from municipal council inspecting the sinkhole.

They said the problem was most probably caused by underground waterways.

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/235407-Malaysia-Sinkhole-closes-r...

Sinkhole problem turns serious

 

A long crack is visible crossing Paseo del Mar and into the White Point Nature Preserve in San Pedro. Signs are up warning of a landslide potential. (Chuck Bennett / Staff Photographer)

As work crews continued to investigate a sinkhole beneath Paseo del Mar in San Pedro, it appeared there would be no quick or easy fix in the cliffside neighborhood known for land movement.

Engineers this week are busy making plans to relocate power poles - "in case something more drastic would occur," said Lawrence Cuaresma, district engineer with the city of Los Angeles Public Works Department.

Engineers at this point do not know what is causing the sinkhole, he said.

"I hate to speculate, we don't know if it's local or part of a wider, larger event."

Geotechnical experts from both Los Angeles city and county are assessing the area and will make recommendations, he said.

County Department of Beaches and Harbors reported finding additional cracks in the pedestrian walkway near the street south of the baseball diamond used by Mary Star of the Sea High School.

Access to part of the beach below was closed due to a "potential landslide."

Meanwhile, a 900-foot-long stretch of Paseo del Mar - between Weymouth Avenue to just east of Western Avenue - will remain closed indefinitely, he said.

The street was blocked on Sept. 19 after engineers determined that a sinkhole had developed beneath a bowl-like depression in the road that had been slowly developing since early July.

Using tape measures and instruments, surveyors determined that the hole beneath where the road buckled was 2 feet long and 3

---

---

feet wide. The hole appeared to be expanding.

Since then, crews have discovered cracks also in the land at the White Point Nature Preserve that is bordered by Paseo del Mar.

Sidewalks also have developed cracks on the south side of the roadway, and there has been some separation of the curb and the gutter, Cuaresma said. There also was some movement on an access road, now closed, that leads down the cliff to the beach.

http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_18990232

Tampa sinkhole reopens, closing Fletcher and Nebraska intersection

Posted: Sep 27, 2011 05:56 AM

The intersection of Fletcher and Nebraska Avenues was once again problematic for morning commuters after a sinkhole, which had been filled overnight, reopened early Tuesday.
	[SKIP O'ROURKE | Times]

TAMPA — After reopening the intersection of Fletcher and Nebraska avenues overnight, officials were forced to close the roadway again Tuesday morning when a sinkhole and dip in the road reopened.

Repair crews Monday night filled the 6-feet wide and 8-feet deep sinkhole, which the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said appeared Monday afternoon.

But early Tuesday, officials said, sections of the intersection had been closed once more because the sinkhole reopened.

Florida Department of Transportation officials warned the repairs would not be complete, and the streets would not reopen, until after Tuesday evening's rush hour.

All eastbound lanes of Fletcher, southbound lanes of Nebraska and the northbound exit ramp off Interstate 275 were completely closed Tuesday.

Northbound Nebraska Avenue was reduced to one lane.

Westbound Fletcher Avenue was unaffected.

Repair workers and deputies responded to the scene just after 5 a.m.

Motorists were advised to take alternate routes to avoid the area.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/roads/article1193857.ece

Sinkhole opens up in Greensburg

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_759046.html

Sinkhole opens up on East Market Street in Pottsville

Nick Meyer/Staff photo Tony Gardner, maintenance supervisor, left, Joseph Mazzuca Jr., assistant vice president, center, and Chris Gardner, project manager, all with Mazzuca Enterprises Inc., Pottsville, look over a large sinkhole on East Market Street near Logan Street on Friday in Pottsville.

A portion of the street in front of the Zimmerman, Lieberman & Tamulonis Law Offices at 111 E. Market St. collapsed Friday afternoon, exposing an underground stream that runs through the city.

The Pottsville Sewer Authority and Mazzuca Enterprises Inc. were on scene about 3:45 p.m. to assess the damage.

"Basically, the stone arch collapsed," said Chris Gardner, Mazzuca Enterprises Inc. project manager. "It probably has something to do with the heavy rain."

Gardner said the ground opened up after a truck drove on the spot, scraping its bumper as the street fell. The damaged pipes were dead for years, said Gardner.

Mazzuca Enterprises will start repairing the road today and aim for completion in two days.

"We will work until it's done," said Gardner. "Depending on the weather, it might be until Monday."

http://republicanherald.com/news/sinkhole-opens-up-on-east-market-s...

Source: Sinkhole Opens at Downtown San Diego Intersection | NBC San Diego

A sinkhole shut down a busy intersection in downtown San Diego Friday.

The intersection of Pacific Highway and A Street was flooded due to a water main break Thursday at 8 p.m. Some people say the water was two feet high in some spots.

As a result early, a sinkhole opened up at the intersection.

Water was rerouted to residents in the area so no one was without water according to city officials.

Construction crews will work throughout Friday to repair the road. Pacific Highway before the morning commute.

Streets were shut down for several hours overnight

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/130845753.html

That sinking feeling

That sinking feeling.

A portion of Upper Middle Road became “lower” middle road earlier this week after a large sinkhole swallowed part of the street.

The sinkhole was caused by an underground watermain break near a fire station on Upper Middle Road around 4 a.m. Wednesday. Kiyoshi Oka, Halton region’s director of water services, said corrosion caused the 16-inch ductile iron pipe, which is 36 years old, to burst. He said no water service was disrupted.

Upper Middle Road’s eastbound lanes were closed due to the size of the sinkhole. The watermain was repaired by 4 p.m. Wednesday.

'Satanic' sinkholes plague Johannesburg: MEC

A sink hole in Oxford Road, Johannesburg. File photo.
Image by: THYS DULLAART © The Times

Gauteng authorities have warned of an increasing risk of dolomitic sinkholes opening up around Johannesburg, which has cost 38 lives in the last 50 years.

"The dolomitic situation is satanic," says Gauteng MEC for local government and housing, Humphrey Mmemezi.

"[Residents don't realise] it comes during the night... .People can wake up and the section [of the township] is not there."

Greg Heath, an engineering geologist at the Council for Geoscience (CGS), says dolomite forms a loose belt around Johannesburg and makes up a quarter of the province. It stretches from Westonaria in the west to Centurion in the north and Thokoza in the east.

At least 2600 sinkholes have been recorded.

"The damage they have caused to development and infrastructure is estimated at a very conservative R1.5 billion.

"At least 38 people have died as a result of sinkholes and the number will increase if people do not move off unstable land," says Heath.

About 110 informal settlements exist on dolomitic land in Gauteng.

Heath says sinkholes are almost always man-induced and develop when communities move into an area with water-bearing services. In townships and informal settlements, leaking taps or burst pipes could trigger dolomitic erosion, which expands underground cavities.

In areas of mining or farming, dolomitic ground could become unstable through changes in the water table.

Two weeks ago, part of a street in Centurion collapsed as a sinkhole opened up. The 7m x 5m hole stretched over a lane of Jean Avenue, revealing water pipes and a dark depth below.

In Westonaria, an ever-growing sinkhole the size of a small dam and about 100 metres deep, lies a metre away from a tee-off at the local golf course.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2011/10/05/satanic-sinkholes-plagu...

That sinking feeling: Car left stranded in giant pothole after burst water main causes road to collapse

Many motorists have had their tyres and wheels damaged by a pothole.

But one driver got more than she bargained for when the road gave way beneath her and swallowed up her entire car.

The incident took place this morning after a water main burst on the A320 between Woking and Chertsey in Surrey. The large pipe erupted at about 5am, flooding the busy road.

Hard to swallow: A silver hatchback fell into a huge pothole on the A320 between Woking and Chertsey in Surrey this morning

The giant hole in the road was caused by a burst water main. The car's female driver had stopped after hearing a noise when the road gave way beneath her

A female motorist driving a silver hatchback had stopped her car after hearing a loud noise coming from the road.

In a matter of seconds, the road then gave way and swallowed her car up.

 

Police were called to the scene shortly afterwards and the road was then closed at around 7am.

The water was turned off by 8.30am, but the road remained shut on Wednesday lunchtime because of the substantial hole in the southbound carriageway.

Pitfall: The A320 remained shut on Wednesday lunchtime because of the substantial hole in the southbound carriageway

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2045550/Car-left-stranded-g...

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111006/NEW...

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Loralee Quinlan stands next to the sinkhole on Leisure Court in Ross Township on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 5, 2011

October 06, 2011

Several neighbors in Ross Township, PA have a problem.

A very big problem.

The rain from two tropical storms caused a giant sinkhole to open up at the base of the only road that leads to their homes, which are at the top of a hill.

The road, Leisure Court, is private, which complicates matters because townships are not responsible for repairing private roads. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is offering aid to people who have property that was damaged in the tropical storms, recently inspected the sinkhole and said they'd probably be able to help pay for repairs. But the amount of cash that FEMA thinks it will be able to offer may only represent a fraction of what the entire project will cost.

And with winter coming, and no available road for the delivery of propane tanks, the neighbors are starting to get worried.

"We're at our wits' end. Someone's got to do something," said Loralee Quinlan, one of the six homeowners affected by the decimated road.

The sinkhole is about 15 feet deep and looks like a massive crater.

The neighbors think the street collapsed

LOOKS like the pot holes are getting a lot bigger these days — as a car is swallowed up in a gaping 5ft deep water-filled chasm by the side of the road.

It was formed after a large water pipe burst and caused the tarmac around it to collapse.

The driver had stopped after hearing a loud noise, got out and watched her Vauxhall Meriva fall into the hole close to the McLaren HQ near Woking, Surrey.

Gordon Foat, who lives nearby, said: "The road's had it." Now they'll just have to dig the hole lot up...

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3855234/My-Vauxhole.html

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/oct/06/large-sink-hole-clos...

Sinkhole closes road in University City

SAN DIEGO — A University City road near Genesee Avenue and Interstate 5 remained blocked off Thursday afternoon because of a large sinkhole, and authorities had no estimate on when it would reopen.

The collapsed roadway on Campus Point Drive at Campus Point Court was reported at 7:22 a.m., San Diego police said.

University City sinkhole

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An underground sewer line running parallel to water and storm water pipelines was damaged and leaking, said Arian Collins, spokesman for the city water department.

Collins said it wasn’t clear if the sewer line cracked, swept away dirt and caused the sinkhole, or if the pavement and soil caved in first, damaging the sewer pipe.

The view of the sinkhole from the SAIC building on Campus Point Drive. Sasha E. Cordova

The roadway will be closed until further notice. City crews installed a six-inch pipe in order to pass sewage around the broken pipe, Collins said.

The water main serving 30 businesses was shut off as a precaution, in case further cave-ins or workers might damage the line, Collins said. He said temporary pipes are being installed above ground, and by later in the night, the businesses would have a water supply again.

“We’ll keep the temporary pipes in place until we can turn on the water main again,” Collins said.

He said a green dye was put into the sewer system to detect any leaks, and a little later, green water was found pooling inside the sinkhole.

The hole was 15 to 20 feet wide and about eight feet deep at first, police said. Later in the morning it appeared almost double in size.

This large hole opened up on Campus Point Drive Thursday morning. Shannon Rainey

Shannon Rainey, who works at Qualcomm on Campus Point Court, said that several people in the business district were 30 to 40 minutes late to work because of to the road closure. Traffic was diverted through an SAIC parking lot, Rainey said.

Water to the SAIC building on Campus Point Drive was shut off and the company was being evacuated in stages starting at about 1 p.m., SAIC employee Matthew Howe said.

Company officials said the situation was not an emergency, but it advised its employees to use caution.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2011/10/omega_home...

Omega Homes begins filling Forks Township neighborhood's sinkholes

Published: Saturday, October 08, 2011

View full sizeExpress-Times Photo | LISA MASSEYSinkholes have been plaguing homeowners in the Penn Ridge development in Forks Township.  

About a dozen sinkholes in Penn’s Ridge have been filled.

Peg Dissinger, of Allentown-based developer Omega Homes, said sinkholes remain on three properties. One homeowner refused to sign a waiver, one signed a waiver on Friday and a third had a power outage when crews arrived.

Homeowners last month crowded a supervisors meeting and asked for help with the sinkholes, some estimated at 23 feet deep. Dissinger said the developer was not legally responsible to fix the...

Supervisor C. David Howell said he’ll see if Forks Township could impose some type of safety regulations on the property owner who refused to sign the waiver.

"The hole does pose a risk or danger to neighbors or children playing in the general area," Howell said.

Dissinger believed a "perfect storm" this summer of a drought, earthquake, a hurricane and tropical storm opened the holes. She said the Lehigh Valley is prone to sinkholes due to an abundance of porous limestone.

http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111006/NEW...

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Loralee Quinlan stands next to the sinkhole on Leisure Court in Ross Township on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 5, 2011.Melissa Evanko/Pocono Record

October 06, 2011

Several neighbors in Ross Township have a problem.

A very big problem.

The rain from two tropical storms caused a giant sinkhole to open up at the base of the only road that leads to their homes, which are at the top of a hill.

The road, Leisure Court, is private, which complicates matters because townships are not responsible for repairing private roads. Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is offering aid to people who have property that was damaged in the tropical storms, recently inspected the sinkhole and said they'd probably be able to help pay for repairs. But the amount of cash that FEMA thinks it will be able to offer may only represent a fraction of what the entire project will cost.

And with winter coming, and no available road for the delivery of propane tanks, the neighbors are starting to get worried.

"We're at our wits' end. Someone's got to do something," said Loralee Quinlan, one of the six homeowners affected by the decimated road.

The sinkhole is about 15 feet deep and looks like a massive crater.

The neighbors think the street collapsed because water during Tropical Storm Irene was not

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/10/12/workers-begin-investigating-b...

Dig Sinkhole

October 12, 2011 7:54 PM

File Image

BOSTON (CBS) – Work to measure the scope of a growing sinkhole under the Big Dig began Wednesday.

Workers were setting up along side the Mass Pike Connector Tunnel at Fort Point Channel to begin a drilling operation that will measure and test the soil that is settling under the South Station railroad tracks.

Engineers always knew the soil that was flash frozen to stabilize it during construction would settle according to Transportation Secretary Richard Davey.

Sinkholes threat to houses in Gauteng

http://m.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/Gauteng-Between-a-rock-...

2011-10-05 22:07 Johannesburg - Gauteng authorities have warned of an increasing risk of dolomitic sinkholes opening up around Johannesburg, which has cost 38 lives in the last 50 years.

"The dolomitic situation is satanic," says Gauteng MEC for local government and housing, Humphrey Mmemezi.

"[Residents don't realise] it comes during the night... People can wake up and the section [of the township] is not there."

Greg Heath, an engineering geologist at the Council for Geoscience (CGS), says dolomite forms a loose belt around Johannesburg and makes up a quarter of the province. It stretches from Westonaria in the west to Centurion in the north and Thokoza in the east.

At least 2 600 sinkholes have been recorded.

"The damage they have caused to development and infrastructure is estimated at a very conservative R1.5bn.

Unstable land

"At least 38 people have died as a result of sinkholes and the number will increase if people do not move off unstable land," says Heath.

About 110 informal settlements exist on dolomitic land in Gauteng.

Heath says sinkholes are almost always man-induced and develop when communities move into an area with water-bearing services. In townships and informal settlements, leaking taps or burst pipes could trigger dolomitic erosion, which expands underground cavities.

In areas of mining or farming, dolomitic ground could become unstable through changes in the water table.

Two weeks ago, part of a street in Centurion collapsed as a sinkhole opened up. The 7m x 5m hole stretched over a lane of Jean Avenue, revealing water pipes and a dark depth below.

In Westonaria, an ever-growing sinkhole the size of a small dam and about 100m deep, lies a metre away from a tee-off at the local golf course.

Excuse

In Thembelihle, an informal settlement near Lenasia, protesting residents who want electricity infrastructure were told they need to relocate as the dolomitic land beneath their shacks is unstable.

Many residents are refusing to move, even though new housing developments are available for them at Lehae and Vlakfontein. They believe dolomite is being used as an excuse for removing informal settlements.

Heath says with an increasing population and a limited amount of land, the government will have to review dolomitic areas and assess the risk of erosion.

"We can't always avoid dangerous ground, but [the question is] how can we use it? People have gravitated towards Johannesburg [and surrounding areas]. We have to use what land we've got."

Unpredictable

Geologists can work out where "good" dolomite and "bad" dolomite lies.

"Good" dolomite is more stable and may allow development while "bad" dolomite is filled with voids and should be avoided.

Heath says dolomite is unpredictable over short distances and extensive surveys are needed to map it.

Engineering geologists and geotechnical engineers use a gravity surveying machine to determine the density of underground materials. A team then drills percussion boreholes at small intervals to survey what is up to 100m below.

The downside of this technology is that it is slow and expensive, costing about R250 per metre.

With few other options, the provincial government has mandated the CGS to help with surveys on populated dolomitic land.

http://www.ocala.com/article/20111016/ARTICLES/111019769

More sinkholes found at school district sites

A sinkhole is shown in the bus loop at R.L. Ward Highlands Elementary School on Oct. 10.

After the rain subsided Oct. 10, the district first found four sinkholes in or near retention areas at the Howard Middle School campus and another in the middle of the Ward-Highlands bus loop.

A day later, last Tuesday, school district officials spotted bubbling water in retention areas at two other locations — Vanguard High School and the Phoenix Center — and suspected the possibility of two more sinkholes.

Authorities stop work on Paseo del Mar storm drain in San Pedro

Large Sinkhole Opens Up on West 15th Street

click to see all pictures (14 photos)

Firefighters stabilize a construction trailer with beams as it lies over a sinkhole on West 15th Street, near Sixth Avenue on Oct. 23, 2011. (DNAinfo/Sonja Sharp)

MANHATTAN —  A portion of a Chelsea street collapsed Sunday afternoon, leaving a construction trailer dangling over the void for hours, officials said.

The 20-foot-by-10-foot sinkhole opened up on West 15th Street, near Sixth Avenue just before 12:20 p.m., according to the FDNY.

The construction trailer hovered precariously over the hole and was endangering Con Ed infrastructure, fire officials said.

The utility said that the street had collapsed over a 6-inch low-pressure gas line, but there was no evidence of a leak.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

One neighbor, Ken Sheller, 69, said that water had been pooling under the trailer for a while and that some other residents had called 311.

"There was water pooling under the trailer for a number of months. Now the fire department said they're very concerned because there's a...gas line directly underneath," he said. "They're advising people not to walk down the block."

Bruno Levy, 32, said that he noticed the hole around noon.

"As soon as I got out the firefighters got here," he said. "When you wake up in the morning and see that, you go 'Is that because of the construction they're doing? Is this going to affect my building?"

Others were not as impressed.

"I'm from Jamaica, and I've seen this a lot in Jamaica," said Davaione Curtis, who is working construction for one of the businesses on the block. "Maybe it scares people more in new york because they might not see it as much."

For several hours, firefighters placed beams under the trailer to prevent it from falling into the hole. Around 4 p.m. they were able to roll it onto a flatbed truck and haul it away.

It was not immediately clear what sparked the collapse.

http://www.dnainfo.com/20111023/chelsea-hells-kitchen/large-sinkhol...

Huge sinkhole swallows vehicles in Quebec 0

First posted: Friday, October 28, 2011 10:52 AM EDT

 

A large sinkhole formed after firefighters in Memphis responded to a fire at a day care center late Thursday morning.

Large sinkhole forms after Frayser fire

(WMC-TV) – A large sinkhole formed after firefighters in Memphis responded to a fire at a day care home late Thursday morning.

Authorities were called to the day care, located in the 2700 block of Frayser Boulevard, shortly after 10:15 a.m.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, smoke and flames were visible coming from the day care home. The fire was brought under control a short time later.

"I cut the bathroom light on," said LaRuth Cook, the owner of the home. "I heard some little crackling in the wall. So I called 911 and I told them I had a fire."

Cook said smoke and water damage were minimal, and two children - her son and niece - escaped unharmed.

As firefighters extinguished the flames, a water main in the area broke, causing parts of nearby Ladue Street to buckle.

The situation gave firefighters fits.

"We had to start re-positioning our companies because we were worried about the road actually starting to collapse on us," send Mark Kelley of the Memphis Fire Department. "They tend to fall into holes really quickly 'cause they're very heavy."

The resulting flooding on Ladue Street left some residents, like Donald Letcher, stuck at home, on the shores of a cascade of water spewing from a sinkhole.

"I'm wondering how my wife's gonna get home," Letcher said.

Investigators said the fire was mostly contained to a single wall. Later, they confirmed it started because of an electrical issue.

http://www.wmctv.com/story/15951373/fire-reported-at-memphis-day-care

http://www.abc-7.com/story/15980363/2011/11/07/18-foot-sinkhole-fou...

 

LEE COUNTY, FL -

An 18 foot deep sinkhole has been discovered on Fort Myers Beach. Town officials say they caught it just in time - before someone fell in.

The hole, large enough to fit two Volkswagens, is under a public sidewalk next to Nervous Nellie's restaurant.

"Absolutely terrible. I don't think anybody had any idea it was there," said Rob Degennaro, owner of Nervous Nellie's.

During a recent inspection, town officials were surprised to find the seawall was hollowed out and the sidewalk was supported by a thin layer of concrete.

"I think eventually the sidewalk would have collapsed there and if someone were to be on it, it would have been a real dangerous situation," said Terry Stewart, Fort Myers Beach Town Manager.

Now, crews are making emergency repairs. The project will cost the town $130,000.

The hole has already cost Nervous Nellie's restaurant thousands of dollars in sales.

For more than a month, the restaurant's patio was too unsafe to keep open.

"We're very busy back here. There's a lot of people walking around, hanging out at night. I think we really dodged a bullet," said Degennaro.

The town blames the seawall shift on a 2006 Lee County utility pipeline project where it says the contractor tried to pass a pipeline under the seawall, which caused the wall to shift.

Five years later, the tide and current have washed out ground beneath the seawall.

The town officially approved a fix Monday and will try to get the county to split the cost.

"Hopefully the attorneys don't have to get involved. If they are, I can't speak to what will happen," said Stewart.

Construction on the sea wall is expected to take another week.

Published Wednesday, November 09, 2011 6:02 AM

Property owners feel this pumping taking place for the drainage project is the reason for the sink holes. SCDOT officials say there is no proof to back up those claims.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation says there is nothing to prove the multi-million dollar drainage project taking place in Georgetown is to blame for a large sink hole that developed last month in the 200 block of North Fraser Street.

That is according to property owner Tony Jordan who has been dealing with the worsening problem since the sink hole was first noticed on Oct. 29.

The deepening crater is in the

Sinkhole Opens Up Behind Store In Leesburg

LEESBURG,Fla. —

A massive sinkhole grew on Monday near a Leesburg strip mall.

The hole first opened Monday morning at a strip mall on Main Street. Officials said it could be caused by the weather. A dry spout and then terrential rain on top of that could have created a 60-foot wide sink-hole, according to officials.

"Oh my gosh, I was amazed at it,” said Angie Johnson, an eyewitness.

Angie Johnson said she drove from Eustis to watch the sink-hole swallow a tree, a dumpster, and part of Refeek Mohamid's beauty store.

"I have never seen a sink hole before like that,” said Mohamid.

Mohamid's security company called him at 2:00am on Monday because his store's alarm went off. When police walked the property they could not tell anything was stolen, but a lot of the products on the shelves had disappeared, according to officials.

Mohamid said he is not worried because his insurance company is covering the damage. They are working to find out how much it will cost. The city said they are having engineers survey the sink-hole to see how it started and where it's spreading.

"We want to see if there is any activity with the hole any movement with the hole,” said Robert Sargent, city official.

When the ground around the hole is secure, the city and the insurance company said they will figure out who is going to pay to fill the hole with clay and lime rock. Officials said Crosby road will have to be re-built. Johnson said she will be keeping her distance until the sink-hole is repaired.

"If the whole building decides to cave in, I don’t want to be here, I want to read about it or hear about it on the news,” said Johnson

Officials said a section of Crosby Street near East Street will stay closed on Monday night until the ground is stable. If there is more rain, officials said the clean-up could take a couple days.

Officials said the sinkhole in Leesburg has many homeowners across Central Florida asking their insurance companies, if their house is covered, for sinkhole damage.

In May, Governor Rick Scott signed a property insurance bill that tightened sink-hole claims. The bill lowered the damage claim limits. Officials said starting in 2012, insurance companies will not have to pay for sink-hole damage to driveways, sidewalks or any structure other than a house

Broken water main causes five foot deep sinkhole near El Sierra School

Crews at work after a sinkhole opened up near El Sierra School. (TribLocal photo/Brian Slodysko)

An intersection near El Sierra School is closed after a broken water main opened up a five foot deep sinkhole this morning.

Village officials say the intersection of Fairmount Avenue and Claremont Drive, about a block south of the school, will remain closed for most of the day as work crews fix the broken 12 inch diameter water pipe and repair the roadway.

The village crews first arrived on the scene around 5:30 a.m. this morning to see water shooting up through the roadway. Meanwhile the geyser eroded away the soil beneath the street.  Once the water was shut off, the roadway buckled, sinking approximately five feet, said village spokesman Doug Kozlowski.

Fourteen homes are currently without water, which is expected to continue until about mid-morning, Kozlowski said.

Work crews hope to have the repair work finished by the end of the day, officials said.

A study conducted by the village last year concluded that deferred maintenance to the village’s 200-plus miles of piping and seven elevated water tanks would become a major expense in the coming years.

At the time officials estimated $45 million in water main work was needed to bring to village up to modern standards.

As a result, water rates were recently hiked and will continue to increase in the coming years.

http://triblocal.com/downers-grove/2011/11/04/broken-water-main-cau...

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - A water main break has caused a sinkhole to form near a Charlotte area elementary school.

Officers were called to Queens Road West at East Boulevard on Monday night after a water main broke along the road.

A sinkhole formed along Queens Road West, blocking the outbound lanes near Radcliffe Avenue.  This is on the same street as Myers Park Traditional Elementary School.

One inbound lane had been previously blocked, but was later reopened.

Crews finished repairs to the water line by 10 a.m.

The road was reopened by 4 p.m.

http://www.wbtv.com/story/16043064/sinkhole-blocks-road-near-elemen...

Water Main Break Leaves Sinkhole In Northwest Denver Neighborhood

November 15, 2011 2:09 PM

DENVER (CBS4) – A water main break left a gaping sinkhole in one northwest Denver neighborhood Tuesday morning.

Copter4 flew over 26th and Vrain. Denver Water says a main broke around 5 a.m., sending water pouring down the street. Then the street gave way, leaving a 12 by 12 hole that is about 5 feet deep.

YouReporter Emily Adams sent in a picture of crews filling the hole.

People in the area lost water Tuesday morning. Denver Water hoped to have it back up by the afternoon.

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/11/15/water-main-break-leaves-sinkh...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/11/23/gatineau-road...

Police closed off the intersection after the sinkhole formed Wednesday morning. (CBC)

http://www.wect.com/story/16100287/see-click-fix-sink-holes-cause-p...

See, Click, Fix: Sinkholes cause problems in neighborhood

 

WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) - A viewer posted a problem with sinkholes in the Quail Woods neighborhood off Murrayville Road.

The post reads: the existing sinkhole at the entrance to the quail woods neighborhood has gotten bigger and deeper.  

The City of Wilmington, New Hanover County and the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority had crews look into the problem.

"The sink holes at Quail Woods are a result of storm water pipes. However, it is located in the unincorporated area so it is not in the jurisdiction of the City of Wilmington. Staff met with the HOA reps and assisted them with the situation. The HOA is going to have someone camera the lines and take corrective action to fix the sink holes," said Jim Iannucci, PE, CFM, County Engineer, New Hanover County Engineering Department.

http://wildammo.com/2011/11/22/20-photos-of-the-worlds-biggest-sink...

Amazing photos...