Florida Highway Patrol was alerted of a sinkhole at 4:30 p.m. today, which had formed on I-75 next to the southbound lane, said Patrick Riordan, the Public Information Officer for Troop B of the Florida Highway Patrol. It is currently 10 feet wide and 12-15 feet deep.
“By the time troopers got to the scene, there was a sizable sinkhole,” Riordan said.
While there is also some drain water present in the hole, Riordan said this is probably not unusual because of the amount of rain Gainesville has had recently.
The Florida Department of Transportation is on the scene evaluating it, and the troopers are waiting for their evaluation to figure out exactly what they think they need to do at this point, Riordan said. As of 6 p.m. the outside southbound lane remained closed.
There is a second sinkhole on the emergency lane, but troopers do not yet know if the two holes are connected, Riordan said.
“We're going to follow the lead for the Department of Transportation,” Riordan said. “They are the experts in the roadways, and so what we're gonna do is we're going to follow their lead, and if that it requires us to keep one lane closed, then we will absolutely.”
Cars drive by a sinkhole Friday that opened on the southbound shoulder of I-75 near the Williston Road exit, Exit 382. A second sinkhole opened about 40 feet from the first hole between two culverts. The Florida Department of Transportation is evaluating if the holes are connected and the stability of the road.
