Sinkholes Wreak Havoc - I-24 Sinkhole And Canada Sinkhole

You can be stuck if you plan on using the I-24 in Tennessee. A deep sinkhole opened up on I-24 between Chattanooga and Nashville, and shut down a 13-mile stretch of traveled road. In Canada, a wide sinkhole that opened last week killed a family who was in their basement. What is going on with sinkholes?

Resource for this article: Sinkholes wreak havoc – I-24 Sinkhole and Canada sinkhole

Tennessee traffic snarled by I-24 sinkhole

The Tennessee Department of Transportation reported today the I-24 sinkhole opened up Tuesday morning. A tractor-trailer barely missed the hitting the sinkhole after it opened up, and nobody was injured or had to take out new car loan as a result of the sinkhole. At 40 feet long and 25 feet deep, the sinkhole will take $ 266,960 to fix, and authority hopes repairs can be completed by May 22. The contract was given by a private contractor. The sinkhole is located between mile marker 127 and exit 127. Traffic has been detoured around the sinkhole on Eastbound lanes, though Westbound lanes have not been closed.

Canadian sinkhole kills family of four

A family of four was killed in a sinkhole that opened up in Canada. Just outside Montreal, a sinkhole appeared under several homes, and one family who was in their basement at the time was encased within the sloshing mud. The homes were evacuated and now the Canadian government is treating the area as a disaster rehabilitation area.

What is a sinkhole?

There are typically numerous different causes for a sinkhole to open up. Usually, water either running below bedrock or seeping in from above works away at the underlying support of an area. The water will dissolve the rock and the area's weight becomes too much. Next, a sinkhole will appear suddenly. Sub-surface waterways, sewer piping and abandoned mines are some of probably the most common causes of sinkholes. Sinkholes could be really hard to predict, though Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri and Pennsylvania tend to have the most sinkholes among U.S. states.