The occupants of two small SUVs that pulled into a westbound Interstate 4 rest area this morning near Polk City had a huge surprise.
At about 10:30 a.m., the vehicles fell into a sinkhole at the rest area at mile marker 46. State transportation officials say the hole is now about 12 feet deep and 30 feet wide and still growing.
One of the SUVs was pulled out fairly quickly because it was only partially submerged, according to Florida Department of Transportation Director of Communications Cindy Clemmons. The other SUV took longer to remove, however, because it had fallen completely into the hole and crews were concerned that a tow truck might fall in also.
After experts determined that the ground underneath was safe, the second SUV was pulled out around 3 p.m., she said.
Both vehicles were towed away and the first one pulled out was eventually drivable, Clemmons said.
No one was hurt and the rest area remains open, but transportation employees are directing people away from the area where the sinkhole opened up.
Clemmons said crews are working to figure out how big the hole might get and how big the void underneath is. That work, she said, will likely continue at least until Friday.
After the size is determined, Clemmons said, crews can then figure out how to fix the problem.
This area is no stranger to sinkholes.
Two Plant City firefighters were recently awarded for the dramatic rescue of a woman who fell into a sinkhole in her backyard on March 28.
In September, Hillsborough County officials announced they had finished repairing the yawning sinkhole that formed in an embankment at the Southeast County Landfill 10 months ago when the ground gave way and collapsed into a 60-foot-deep, 129-foot-wide crater.
"It does look significantly different than it did on Dec. 14," said Michelle Van Dyke, spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Public Utilities.
Though the huge hole is gone, filled with tons of grout and dirt, the job of securing the site is far from over, Van Dyke said.
A year and a half ago, a 25-foot-wide, 40-foot-deep sinkhole collapsed the earth at the front door of a Bordeaux Village condominium building.
Nearly two years ago, Plant City was inundated with sinkholes.
Beginning with the night of Jan. 1, 2010, farmers had to run sprinklers repeatedly for 12 consecutive nights to protect fragile strawberry blooms and fruit with a coating of ice.
The growers used an estimated 1 billion gallons of water a day during the record cold. The aquifer level plummeted, and officials were deluged with complaints of sinkholes and dry wells.
Dozens of sinkholes opened in the area, including one that closed three lanes of traffic on eastbound Interstate 4. A sinkhole also threatened a city water tank and forced temporary closure of Trapnell Elementary School.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
