Wild weather likely culprit for Twin Cities sinkholes
MINNEAPOLIS – A slew of sinkholes are making for dangerous drives in the Twin Cities.
You may remember the notorious one in Uptown Minneapolis, and the big one in Brooklyn Park that swallowed a car with the driver inside. Now, another two have appeared in Minneapolis.
"I've lived here for almost 30 years and I'm not, I'm not accustomed to seeing sinkholes very often at all," said Minneapolis resident Wendy Smith.
MORE: "I just saw water flooding in": Woman describes how her car ended up in Brooklyn Park sinkhole
But these Minneapolis sinkholes at West 43rd Street and Pleasant Avenue South, and on East 40th Street and Nicollet Avenue South, are just the latest in the metro – causing cars to swerve around, and drawing spectators in.
"It looks like it goes about 6- or 8-feet down and it might be at least 6- or 8-feet wide, and it looks like it could be willing to cave in in a much greater capacity very quickly," Smith said.
Dr. Calvin Alexander of the University of Minnesota's Earth and Environmental Sciences Department says he's not exactly surprised to see the sinkholes forming.
"This was an especially snowy winter, and so a lot of extra water has gone through the system," Alexander said.
MORE: Large sinkhole appears on Uptown Minneapolis street, city says it was caused by collapsed sewer main
As to what's causing these sinkholes to form, Dr. Alexander says the answer is complicated. First, these are artificial sinkholes because they involve artificial surfaces like asphalt. Because of that, the problem usually comes from something underneath the surface like a sewer or water main break. The key is figuring out why those breaks are caused.
The answer? Usually just because of age or because of the weather.
"Climate change, there's more rain and more snow and warmer summers and all of those sorts of things are contributing to it. And there's just more people around. And the infrastructure is getting old," he said.
A spokesperson with the city of Minneapolis tells WCCO News they're not sure yet what caused this latest one to form. Alexander says it's important they find out, and fast.
"If they just refill the hole without fixing the problem, that's removing the dirt from beneath, it can form again," he said.
City crews say there aren't any utility impacts from the 40th and Nicollet sinkhole. If you see one forming, report its location to 311.