Sinkholes Wreak Havoc - I-24 Sinkhole And Canada Sinkhole

If your evening commute involves 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 going on with sinkholes?

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

I-24 sinkhole stops Tennessee traffic

As outlined by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the I-24 sinkhole opened Tuesday morning. A tractor-trailer missed the sinkhole just barely after it opened up, and nobody was injured or had to take out new auto loans 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. Between mile marker 127 and exit 127 is where the sinkhole is located. Eastbound lanes are close although westbound lanes aren’t.

Canadian sink hole responsible for family of four's deaths

On the northern side of the continent, a sinkhole that recently opened up in Canada killed a family of four. Just outside Montreal, a sinkhole appeared under various homes, and one family who was in their basement at the time was encased in the sloshing mud. Neighboring houses were evacuated, and also the area is being treated as a disaster rehabilitation area by the Canadian government.

What is a sinkhole?

There are usually 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 slowly dissolves the rock, and eventually the weight above the area simply becomes too much. A sudden sinkhole will appear. Abandoned mines, sub-surface waterways, and sewer piping are common causes. 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.