Monday, February 01, 2016

Pair of Monster Sinkholes Swallow Up Road

A "monster" sinkhole opened up next to another to create a double sinkhole near a busy highway in southern Oregon

Video shows a massive sinkhole that has opened near a highway along the coast of southern Oregon.  The huge crevice joined another sinkhole which has been plaguing the Curry County town of Harbor since heavy rains last month.

 A contractor was working on it Thursday when the erosion started to accelerate on a nearby road.  The new sinkhole that emerged as a result of the erosion is a "monster" that could take up to 65,000 cubic yards of earth and eight weeks to repair.

It's the largest seen in Oregon for 20 years.  “It’s a monster for sure,” said Jared Castle, Department of Transportation spokesman for southwest Oregon. “This is a very unusual event and is a sinkhole of a magnitude that we don’t see but once every couple decades.”  Thankfully the double sinkhole didn't swallow any vehicles, and there were no injuries.  According to Castle, the two sinkholes "probably have now met," Castle said, creating one gaping hole in the highway.

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