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Sinkholes snarl traffic in Tarpon Springs

As crews work to patch one 30-foot sinkhole in Tarpon Springs, another breach develops.

By ROBIN STEIN
Published March 21, 2006

TARPON SPRINGS - Construction crews had just finished patching up a 30-foot sinkhole on the southern side of Klosterman Road early Monday morning, when they noticed three other troubling depressions nearby.

By noon, a second breach, measuring 15 feet across and about 12 feet deep, opened up around the corner in the center lane of Alt. U.S. 19, snarling traffic at the busy intersection all day.

Alt. U.S. 19 in that area averages about 21,000 vehicles a day, though it might be heavier at this time of year when so many spring breakers are here.

Crews already at the site began repairs. The goal was to have the entire intersection free and clear of backhoes and gaping holes by this morning, according to Ron Anderson, district emergency coordination officer for the Department of Transportation.

Anderson warned the plan is subject to delay depending on the results of geotechnical testing conducted Monday afternoon.

The rash of holes is not the first to plague the corridor.

"The last couple of years, there have been three or four," Anderson said. "That area is prone to sinkholes, but it is very difficult to say what triggered them."

Only occasionally does the geotechnical data pinpoint a specific cause, he said.

But Anderson doubts the recent road work on Klosterman is to blame. The multiyear improvement project entailed asphalt paving that involved digging just 1 or 2 inches below the surface.

Under the weight of traffic, the sugary, sandlike layer beneath the road sometimes can start to leak into the porous limestone layer beneath, he said, especially in atypically dry weather conditions.

Traffic trickled through the clogged intersection Monday, although the gaggle of repair machinery and crews blocked a few businesses, such as Falcon Motor Cars on the northeastern corner of Alt. U.S. 19 and Klosterman Road.

"I expect we're going to lose some business," said manager Sam El Alami. El Alami said Falcon would probably be closing early, if the employees could get their cars out of the driveway.

[Last modified March 21, 2006, 02:30:40]