T-DOT crews began work Friday to address a sinkhole at the intersection of Sparta’s Butler Street and Bockman Way.
Sparta Public Works Director Dillard Quick said the state was notified a week ago about a sinkhole that continues to sink in the middle of the passing lane at the traffic light. Quick said the sinkhole was not dangerous but needed to be addressed before it got worse.
“When you drive across it’s like a big dip, I mean it’s not a really big dip, but if you are in a dump truck or a garbage truck or something like that, you really feel it,” Quick said. “But in a car, you don’t feel it as much, but it is a dip.”
Quick said crews set up road closures and began filling in the sinkhole Thursday night. Quick said he expects T-DOT to be finished on Friday.
“The hole is probably about 10 feet deep,” Quick said. “It took, I think, five loads of gravel and shot rock, and riprap last night to fill it in, and they are out there paving the road today as we speak.”
Quick said Bockman Way has been reduced to a two-lane road while Butler Street is blocked off. Sparta Mayor Jerry Lowery said he has taken some flak on social media for the closure.
“Ultimately, we are trying to stop a catastrophic event before it happens,” Lowery said.
Lowery advised that travelers be aware of the closure. Quick said the closure has really impacted traffic during school pickup and drop-off times.