March 29, 2024

Sinkhole forces city street closure

FORT DODGE (AP) — A sinkhole opened up Wednesday night in Fort Dodge, forcing closure of a street that partially disappeared into a gaping hole.

The ground started to cave in as a truck drove along a stretch of 22nd Street, on the city’s southern edge.

The truck driver saw the ground cave in and called authorities.

Tony Trotter, a city project engineer, said he responded and watched as the hole grew larger, exposing an 8-inch diameter gas line and a second gas long that is no longer used.

“It just kept getting bigger and bigger,” Trotter said. “At first we thought we could keep one lane open, but with the hole growing we decided it would be safer to close the whole road.”

The city has closed South 22nd Street south of 15th Avenue South.

It’s unclear what caused the cave-in, which appears to be about 20-feet deep. Trotter said the area is near gypsum mines, which could be a factor.

A fix for the hole likely is more complex than simply filling it with soil, Trotter said.

Trotter will work with Webster County Engineer Randy Will to devise a plan for repairing the hole.