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City leaders say Frederick sinkhole could take months to repair

The Deputy Director of Public Works asked the public to continue to avoid the area near the sinkhole.

FREDERICK, Md. — A sinkhole in the city of Frederick, Maryland has been causing some traffic detours and disrupting water access for local businesses for several days. The hole was first noticed last Wednesday and by Friday, some businesses said they were without water for six hours. 

The hole just off of Monocacy Blvd has expanded some since it formed, which isn't uncommon according to Deputy Director of Public Works Tracy Coleman.

"Where there are areas underground, between solid hard rock and soluble rock that dissolves, there's too much water sitting on the surface, and it has a place to travel underground," Coleman said.  “The sinkhole sucks down, or it is a pathway, for the soils to go through. And if you add water to that, it just makes that migration of soils accelerate."

A water line runs directly in the path of the hole, which impacted access to water for many nearby businesses. 

“As the sinkhole expanded, it undermined the existing waterline that's in this roadway," Coleman said. "We have a 16-inch water main, when it undermined it, the pavement, the weight on top of the pavement, and having nothing beneath the waterline caused the waterline to collapse and break." 

Coleman added the city of Frederick will be responsible for closing the large gap in the road, saying they'll work alongside city engineers to find a contractor to make the necessary fixes. They’re hoping for a slew of sunny days and clear skies.

“We're asking the public just to stay away from it," Coleman said. "While it appears stable right now, we have a very deep hole. If for some reason that became a little bit unstable, the payment could collapse more and it's a very dangerous situation. We'd really like people to stay away." 

RELATED: Sinkhole in Frederick causes road closures, damaged waterline affecting several businesses

RELATED: This Loudoun landowner wants to pump millions of gallons of water from a sinkhole-prone area

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