Tennessee Sinkhole at Football Stadium in Repair

Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee has a problem with sinkholes. Last August, a 5-foot sinkhole opened up on campus near the Maynard Mathematics Center. Then, last month, another w...
Tennessee Sinkhole at Football Stadium in Repair
Written by Mike Tuttle
  • Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee has a problem with sinkholes.

    Last August, a 5-foot sinkhole opened up on campus near the Maynard Mathematics Center. Then, last month, another was discovered at Governors Stadium during renovation where the football field meets the track.

    The most recent sinkhole started out only about 3 feet by 5 feet with a 5 foot depth, but construction crews have had to dig 40 feet deeper and 40 feet wider to find stable bedrock in order to fill the hole with rock, concrete, and sub-grade asphalt.

    “We actually put a line item in the budget for sinkhole remediation,” said Mike Jenkins, superintendent for Bell & Associates Construction. “You never know to what extent you’re going to run into them, but we know that Montgomery County, and Austin Peay State University specifically, is famous for sinkholes.”

    The problem in Middle Tennessee is the amount of underground limestone caves and that the type of rock below the surface tends to be a very dissolvable sedimentary rock, comprised primarily of minerals.

    According to USS Sinkhole Repair, there are obvious warning signs to prevent a sinkhole from further developing. For example, looking for structural foundations cracking, windows and doors jamming, and depressions in the ground or around the structure.

    Luckily, no one has been injured in any of the recent sinkhole incidents on Austin Peay State’s campus.

    Other small sinkholes, like those in the parking lot of the stadium, are also expected to be fixed by the construction crews. All renovations and fixes are expected to be completed by mid-September, just in time for the football season’s home opener.


    Image via YouTube

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