Sunday, May 23, 2010

I-24 Sinkhole And Canada Sinkhole Wreak Havoc

If your evening commute includes I-24 in Tennessee, the I-24 sinkhole is sure to throw a wrench into your plans. A deep sinkhole opened up between Chattanooga and Nashville, and shut down a 13-mile stretch of the heavily traveled road. Last week in Canada, a family was killed in their basement as a sinkhole opened up. What is the deal with sinkholes?

Source for this article: Sinkholes wreak havoc – I-24 Sinkhole and Canada sinkhole By Personal Money Store

I-24 sinkhole stops Tennessee traffic

The Tennessee Department of Transportation reported today the I-24 sinkhole opened up Tuesday morning. A tractor-trailer missed the sinkhole just barely after it opened up, and nobody was injured or had to take out new car loan as a result of the sinkhole. The sinkhole is 40 feet long and 25 feet deep, and will take $ 266,960 to fix as authority hopes repairs can be completed by May 22. The contract was given by a private contractor. Between mile marker 127 and exit 127 is where the sinkhole is located. Eastbound lanes are close although westbound lanes are not.

Family of four killed in Canadian sinkhole

A family of four was killed in a sinkhole that opened up in Canada. One family happened to be in their basement as the sinkhole opened up outside of Montreal under several homes. The area is being treated as a disaster rehabilitation area by the Canadian government as the homes were evacuated.

What is a sinkhole?

There are generally many different causes for a sinkhole to open up. Generally it involves water running below bedrock or seeping in from above. The water slowly dissolves the rock, and eventually the weight above the area simply becomes too much. At this point, a sudden sinkhole appears. Sub-surface waterways, sewer piping and abandoned mines are some of probably the most common causes of sinkholes. Though Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri and Pennsylvania tend to have the most sinkholes among U.S. states, sinkholes can be difficult to predict.



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