Part of Illinois 185 closed for weekend due to mine sinkhole

Danny Connolly
·1 min read

HILLSBORO, Ill. (WCIA) — A portion of Illinois 185 in Montgomery County is closing for the weekend due to a sinkhole forming in the area.

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Friday afternoon Illinois 185 between Hillsboro and Coffeen is closed due to a 50-foot-wide sinkhole in Hillsboro. The sinkhole is in a farmer’s field adjacent to the road, southeast of the John A. Graham Correctional Center.

IDOT releases updated Illinois highway map

Officials with IDOT said there is minimal damage to Illinois 185, but will close through the weekend in case the sinkhole expands. IDOT officials will assess damages to estimate early next week when the road can reopen.

A spokesperson with Illinois’s Department of Natural Resources told our partner station KTVI the agency’s Office of Mines and Minerals was alerted of a subsidence event at the Deer Run Mine in Hillsboro from the mine’s owner, Foresight Energy. The company asked to close a portion of Illinois 185 “out of an abundance of caution.”

IDNR’s Mines and Minerals staff are investigating the mine subsidence.

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