How long will Ruler Foods in Belleville be closed? Here’s an update from the fire chief

Mike Koziatek
·3 min read
1

The Ruler Foods grocery store that closed because of mine subsidence will remain closed for at least the next four to five weeks, the Belleville fire chief said Friday.

That’s how long it is expected to take for a formal structural analysis to be completed by engineers on the building at 1703 North Belt West, according to Fire Chief Stephanie Mills.

“Then at that point they will reevaluate and make some decisions,” she said.

Inspectors from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and a private engineering firm examined the building Friday, Mills said.

Mills said she saw cracks on the floor when she was inside the building, which opened in late 2014 on the site of the former Bel-Air Bowl.

“You can see some separation in the floor,” she said.

The mine subsidence also caused fissures in the store’s parking lot and nearby streets.

The ground where the mine subsidence occurred has settled 1 inch since Tuesday according to information relayed from the Department of Natural Resources to Mills.

The subsidence was reported to state officials on Sunday.

Three nearby homes were affected but those residents have been allowed to return to their homes, Mills said.

Ruler Foods, which is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., said in a statement that it “continues to work closely with experts and city officials” while the store remains closed.

Land subsidence outside of Ruler Foods in Belleville, Ill., where an old mine below the store caused the land surrounding the building to sink into the ground on Sept. 26, 2023.
Land subsidence outside of Ruler Foods in Belleville, Ill., where an old mine below the store caused the land surrounding the building to sink into the ground on Sept. 26, 2023.

Nearby business remains open

Nicole Shanks, owner of Weave & Wobble at 1537 Donna Drive near Ruler Foods, said the mine subsidence did not affect her business, which offers pottery and weaving classes.

“Who knows if there’s a domino effect” with these things, said Shanks. “Everything’s good” for now.

She said she plans to stay up-to-date on the situation in case any later damage could affect her shop.

When news of the mine subsidence first broke and a subsequent water main break, Shanks was contacted by concerned customers via text and phone asking if Weave & Wobble was also shut down or had running water.

Acknowledging that traffic at the grocery store also brought people to her shop, she’s hopeful there will be no additional damage and that Ruler Foods will reopen.

“I’m really hoping they don’t end up with an abandoned building” in the end, said Shanks.

Previous mine subsidence cases

Ruler Foods is located near a neighborhood that had mine subsidence reported in May 2021.

To find out if your home or business is located over a coal mine, you can check an interactive map produced by the Illinois State Geological Survey.

Mine subsidence happens when the roof of an underground, abandoned coal mine collapses and causes the ground above the mine to shift, or “subside,” because of the collapse.

Pillars of coal that were used to support the mine shafts can deteriorate over time and cause the mine to collapse. Walls and floors of buildings, sidewalks, driveways and roads can crack when mine subsidence occurs. Natural gas and water lines also can be damaged.

Homes, schools, commercial buildings and roads in the metro-east have been damaged by mine subsidence over the past several decades.

Belleville News-Democrat reporter Jennifer Green contributed information for this article.