West Virginia Sinkhole Threatens to Swallow Police Department as It Grows Larger
A massive sinkhole in West Virginia poses a threat to the police department in Hinton as it grows larger since first opening up in June, according to officials.
A press release from the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) on Friday stated the sinkhole was originally about six feet wide and 30 feet deep when it opened on West Virginia Route 20 after a 90-year-old drain underneath the road began failing, causing the collapse.
West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) has since installed a 120-foot temporary culvert and fill material to fix the issue. However, rains from Hurricane Nicole which occurred earlier this month have washed out the fill and subsequently worsened the condition, making the sinkhole even bigger.
West Virginia Division of Highways
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Friday's news release announced WVDOH will begin the installation of a temporary bridge over the sinkhole on Saturday. Traffic in the area will be redirected for a detour during the construction, which will take between 24 and 48 hours, officials said.
CNN reported students in grades 6-12 have been switched to remote learning in the past week due to the expansion of the sinkhole, according to David Warvel, the superintendent of Summers County Schools, who added that in-person classes will resume once the temporary bridge has been installed.
West Virginia Division of Highways
The bridge is a short-term initiative before the permanent solution will be enforced eventually by installing a 300-foot steel drainage structure. The long-term fixed construction will cost the state around $5 million, West Virginia state Sen. Stephen Baldwin said via his Facebook post.
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According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), sinkholes are most common in regions where the types of rock below the land surface can naturally be dissolved by groundwater circulating through them.
Per USGS, soluble rocks include salt beds and domes, gypsum, limestone, and other carbonate rock.
