Magnolia Drive reopens after sinkhole repair
Magnolia Drive was closed Feb. 13 after a pickup truck was caught in a sinkhole. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/LEDA ALVIM.
Magnolia Drive between USF Holly Drive and Fletcher Avenue will reopen to traffic Wednesday morning after a week of repairs to an 8-foot-deep sinkhole that closed the road Feb. 13.
First called a “depression,” it was officially determined to be a sinkhole by engineers earlier this week.
Magnolia Drive was closed Feb. 13 after the tire of a pickup truck was caught in the sinkhole. The driver was not injured and the vehicle was successfully removed.
According to the Conserve Energy Future, sinkholes can be caused by many different factors, including erosion, underground water, broken water or drain pipes and heavy traffic.
The U.S. Geological Survey said sinkholes are especially common in Florida, as the state has many underground voids and drainage systems carved from the carbonate rocks.
Before the sinkhole was filled and paved, engineers had to measure and perform tests to determine what the foundation was like in the area.
USF Assistant Director of Administrative Services Aaron Nichols said the problem being was fixed, but added that the opening of sinkholes can be unpredictable.
“The geology of this area of Florida is such that there is certainly the possibility of other depressions and/or sinkholes occurring in the future,” Nichols said in an email to The Oracle on Tuesday night.
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