30-Foot Sinkhole Revealed Along I-69 Route in Indiana
June 10, 2013
As I-69 construction continues in Monroe County, crews are encountering a
number of sinkholes. The state department of transportation says it is
not unexpected given all the karst features in the area. But residents
are worried about the impact of the construction on the
environment. Bulldozers and land movers are working to clear a path
through southern Monroe County that will eventually become part of
I-69. This phase of the construction is the most challenging because of
the karst topography. The construction is exposing large caverns, some
30 feet deep and 15 feet across. I-69 opponent Thomas Tokarski says
building the interstate over these sinkholes poses a threat to the
groundwater because pollutants and runoff can seep through openings and
into the water table. “There is a real risk to the environment in that
regard too,” he says. “Plus we’re not sure about the impacts of all this
digging on personal wells. We’re on a water well and what is this going
to do to our well? We have excellent water now. Is that going to
contaminate our well? We just have to wait and see.” INDOT spokesperson
Will Wingfield says while these karst features are common throughout the
area, the department’s planners have taken necessary precautions to
prevent impacts to the water table and environment in general. “Known
karst features are identified on the site,” he says. “There’s measures
being taken to filter and minimize runoff going into those features.
Then as part of the construction process they’ll be managed and may be
capped in order to minimize impact. It’s something that we knew about as
we were developing the project and have added that into our schedule to
make sure that we’re delivering the project on a timely manner.” The
section of I-69 from Crane to State Road 37 just south of Bloomington is
expected to be complete by the end of 2014. A 67-mile stretch of the
road from Evansville to Crane opened in November. SOURCE
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