Cause of Sinkhole Determined; Repairs Planned

TYLER — Crews have discovered the cause of a sinkhole that created some problems last week at Broadway and Front in Tyler, and they’re gearing up for repairs the second weekend in August. TxDOT spokesman Larry Krantz tells KETK the cave-in began with a clay storm drainpipe that was likely installed during or right after World War II. According to Krantz, concrete was difficult to obtain during that period. He says the drainpipe’s “time had just come” and heavy rain may have been “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Krantz says crews will be replacing the old pipe with a new one beginning Friday, August 9, shutting down the intersection around 8:00pm. and reopening it at 5:00am on Monday, August 12. According to Krantz, drivers should start planning now for the repairs and seek alternate routes that weekend. He says signs will go up starting Monday, August 5. The cave-in occurred last Tuesday afternoon, and crews worked into the early morning hours Wednesday to make the location safe for driving. They got busy last Thursday seeking the cause.