Sinkholes
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Canada, Ontario: Sinkhole opens on Bronson near Carleton University

Kristy Nease
The Ottawa Citizen
Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00 UTC
Just in time for the Thursday evening commute, a sink hole on Bronson Avenue near Sunnyside Avenue narrowed the busy southbound artery to just one lane while city crews started repairs.

The sink hole was between Bronson Avenue and Brewer Way. There was no estimated repair time.

Power failures and downed wires were reported earlier Thursday afternoon as a small but strong storm cell made its way from west to east across Ottawa.

Environment Canada's website listed a severe thunderstorm watch for the Ottawa region as of 1:32 p.m., with the possibility of large hail and damaging winds. The small, intense storm was already making its way through Nepean at the time.
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US, Michigan: 3 People Escape Massive Sinkhole


CBS News, Detroit
Thu, 18 Aug 2011 06:50 UTC
sinkhole
© WWJ Photo/Stephanie Davis
Detroit Police have blocked off an area on the city's east side because of a massive sinkhole. Officials said a woman was driving down Beaubien at Smith when her SUV fell into the hole.

Detroit Water Department crews were on the scene, Thursday evening, on Beaubien just north of East Grand Blvd. near I-75.

"The front half of this SUV is inside, resting inside, this huge water sinkhole about five feet wide," reported WWJ Newsradio 950′s Stephanie Davis.

Witnesses said two women and a young child were rescued from the vehicle. "I talked to one of the young men who helped the people out of the car. He said he's just glad he was there," said Davis.

All three people escaped without injuries. There was no immediate word on how long repairs will take.
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US, Maryland: Water Main Break Creates Sinkhole


NBC News, Washington
Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:53 UTC

WSSC crews finished repairing a 30-inch water main break in Upper Marlboro, Md., that created a massive sinkhole in the 6900 block of South Osbourne Way between Brentwood Road and Carroll Way.

Crews are still working on the roadway, the Associated Press reported.

The pipe broke about 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Some residents experienced low water pressure. WSSC 's emergency outreach group delivered water to affected households.

Workers pumped water out of the hole to work on the pipe.

The sinkhole measured 6 feet deep and 15 feet wide, the AP reported. A car had to be towed from the scene after falling in the hole.

No word on how the break occurred or how many residents were affected.

Source: The Associated Press
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US, New York: Crews Investigate Sinkhole On Upper West Side


CBS News New York
Wed, 17 Aug 2011 04:41 UTC
People are stopping, staring and taking pictures of a massive sinkhole that opened in the middle of 82nd Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West, but frustrated residents are asking what city officials intend to do to prevent future collapses.

"It's a recurring thing that happens every year," resident Kirk Williamson told CBS 2′s Elise Finch.

Williamson's window faces the hole that he says he first noticed on Friday. Since then, it has extended to 10 feet in circumference and 20 feet deep.

Just a few yards away is what's left of smaller sinkhole that formed last year and the hole left from a water main break just two weeks ago.

"There's a lot of work going on in here and it's taxpayer-paid for. If they don't really find a solution it will keep happening," Williamson said.

"There's been no one here investigating it. So that's a little bit troubling. This is a very family-oriented block," said resident Rochelle Hestnas.
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Canada, British Columbia: Downtown Vancouver Sinkhole a Mystery to City Staff

Kent Spencer
The Province
Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:00 UTC
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© Ward Perrin, PNGTraffic was disrupted as crews repaired a large hole at Seymour and Robson streets in downtown Vancouver.
The City of Vancouver says it has no explanation for a large hole which developed early Friday at the busy intersection of Seymour and Robson Streets.

"We don't know what caused it," said city spokeswoman Wendy Stewart. "The ground was dry. There was no water and no suggestion it was from a broken pipe."

She said dry, summer weather is not the type of conditions in which sinkholes usually form.

"Sometimes dirt will erode and a pothole will be created," she said. "Sinkholes are more common when winter turns to spring and water comes down from the hills."
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US, Massachusetts: Sinkhole Found in Boston's I-90 Tunnel

Richard Weir, Chris Cassidy and Christine McConville
Boston Herald
Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00 UTC
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© The Associated Press / Michael DwyerMass DOT officials say the problem is in the same connector tunnel where Milena Del Valle was killed in 2006 when a three-ton slab of concrete fell on top of her car.
But officials say road safe

A massive "sinkhole" at least 4 feet deep and up to 190 feet long has created a "void" under the Interstate 90 connector tunnel in the problem-plagued Big Dig, adding to a growing list of engineering failures that include a deadly ceiling collapse, dangerously unstable light fixtures and lethal railings, state transportation officials revealed yesterday.

Transportation officials insist there is no risk of a new catastrophic collapse in the tunnel - the same one where Milena Del Valle was killed by a 3-ton slab of concrete five years ago - but some critics said they aren't convinced.

"You hear this and think, 'What's coming next?' " asked Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer), a Transportation Committee member calling for a probe of the latest Big Dig fiasco. "This is just another in a long line of problems for this project."

The gap 9 feet under the tunnel's roadway, filled with water and resembling a subterranean pond, was caused by an unexpected degree of settling of the clay soil around the tunnel as a result of a pioneering technique called "ground freezing" while contractors dug under the train tracks serving South Station.
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US, New York: Sinkhole on Elm Street Got 'Bigger and Bigger'

Keshia Clukey
UTICAOD
Sat, 13 Aug 2011 09:26 UTC
sinkhole
© Keshia ClukeyObserver-Dispatch A reader contacted Public Eye regarding a "sink hole" in the street, around 1114 Elm St., in Utica. The hole has since been filled by the city, but its cause still remains unknown.
Utica resident Ralph Stevens wrote to Public Eye regarding a large sinkhole on Elm Street near his home.

"I keep watching this thing grow bigger and bigger," Stevens said.

The details

The hole, near 1114 Elm St., was between 1- and 1½-feet deep and several inches wide. Trash collected in it and it looked as though the asphalt was crumbling.

Stevens said he noticed the hole about five weeks ago.
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Bizarro Earth

US: Huge Sinkhole Closes East Burdick Expressway

Dave Caldwell
Minot Daily News
Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:45 UTC
Sinkhole
© Minot Daily News
This huge sinkhole near the entrance to Roosevelt Park Zoo opened early Friday afternoon and nearly swallowed a large trailer carrying flood debris. The hole is 15 to 20 feet long, 8 to 10 feet wide and at least 8 feet deep.

Minot Public Works Director Alan Walter said the sinkhole was caused by a sewer collapse. Sinkholes have been common throughout the city as high groundwater has caused a large amount of subsurface erosion. East Burdick Expressway will be closed from the west end of the Burdick viaduct to Eighth Avenue Southeast until further notice.

Detours will be from Fifth Street Southeast to Valley Street and from Valley Street to Eighth Avenue Southeast.
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Ambulance

Italy, Naples: Garbage Truck Swallowed by Sinkhole


sky.it
Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:32 UTC
Translated:

One dead and two wounded, is the budget of the incident last night in Casalnuovo, near Naples, where a truck for the collection of municipal solid waste ended up in a sinkhole opened up along the roadway. The event happened around one o'clock on a Strettola. As reconstructed by the police so far, the road has had a sudden collapse to the passage of trucks. The vehicle ended up in the abyss: the violence of the momentum killed the driver, a 42-year old of Marietta (Naples), instantly.

The other two employees who were on board were injured, one was admitted to the hospital of St. John Bosco Naples with prognosis, the other was treated for injuries heal within 7 days. The truck is owned by a company of Airola (Benevento), which makes the collection of municipal waste in the area. Knowing the local police investigating the Lieutenancy and the Core Operating Castello di Cisterna.

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US, Missouri: Sinkhole Closed Section of Prospect for Six Hours in Kansas City


NBC Action News
Mon, 08 Aug 2011 00:00 UTC
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© Brandon Billinger/KSHBBoth directions of Prospect were closed on Aug. 8, 2011, from 67th Street to 67th Terrace in Kansas City, Mo., due to a large sinkhole.
A section of Prospect Avenue was closed Monday for about six hours in Kansas City, Mo., due to a large sinkhole.

The sinkhole was reported before 2:30 p.m.

Officials closed Prospect from 67th Street to 67th Terrace. By 8:30 p.m., the roadway was reopened to traffic.

Colleen Doctorian with Water Department said an 8-inch main caused the break.

Approximately 25 customers were affected by the water main break.
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