AKRON, Ohio (WJW) — An Ohio road is closed Saturday after a sinkhole opened in the middle of the street causing part of the road to collapse.
Photos posted to the City of Akron – Mayor’s Office Facebook page show the hole to be several feet wide and several feet deep as it swallowed up asphalt, bricks and the yellow road stripes on the blacktop.
Mayor Shammas Malik posted Friday night that, “the road collapsed at 680 East Buchtel Avenue and crews are backfilling the collapse with stone & placing steel plates until a full repair can be made.”
There’s no word on what caused the collapse.
The mayor added: “The city is closing the road for the weekend. Businesses and apartments still have access to their property. There is no through traffic from East Market Street to Straw Alley on East Buchtel Avenue.”
As explained by the U.S. Geological Survey, sinkholes happen for a variety of reasons. They typically form in areas of rock that become weak over time — and that may have breakages where groundwater can flow through, further weakening the rock.
The survey explains that while some sinkhole collapses can be sudden, more often than not, they happen so gradually people don’t notice the changes in the land surface. This can set up a dangerous situation for people who may be walking over a sidewalk, for instance, since the area beneath the surface may be growing and deepening before pedestrians above even realize that danger lurks below.
