Large Sinkhole appears on Washington Fields Road

WASHINGTON – An underground water pipe ruptured Wednesday, resulting in a large sinkhole appearing on Washington Fields Road.

Mike Shaw, public works director for Washington, said the sinkhole appeared around 4:30 p.m. and was caused by the rupture of a 12-inch underground water line. The high pressure from the escaping water quickly ate away the surrounding foundation and triggered the collapse of the road above. The rupture occurred on Washington Fields Road near Washington Dam Road.

“There was a lot of force behind [the rupture],” Shaw said.

Despite the water line break, Shaw added area homes should be not negatively affected.

“Everyone still has water,” Shaw said, noting the affects of the break had been localized to the immediate area.

Shaw said repairs to the ruptured pipe and collapsed section of road would take approximately eight hours to repair. It figured, he said, that the sinkhole would happen an hour after city work crews had gone home for the day.

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Copyright 2012 St. George News.

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1 Comment

  • Me April 25, 2012 at 5:34 pm

    Concrete? Looks like Asphalt =)

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