Sinkhole problems are re-emerging along south Sprigg Street in Cape Girardeau.
Two of the sinkholes are located near the roadway just north of the bridge at Cape La Croix Creek. One is directly under the bridge, and another can be found to the west of the bridge. That sinkhole is directing water into the nearby BuzziUnicem quarry. All four re-emerged in the last three weeks, and the city has closed the street to traffic.
The city has been struggling with sinkholes since 2007, according to Cape Girardeau public works director Tim Grambling, who said the sinkholes become active when the Mississippi River is about 10 feet above flood stage.
“The holes we won’t be able to fill in until the river goes back down below flood stage,” Grambling said. “If it looks like it’s going to stabilize then we may go in and try to fill the holes back in and pave the street back over. For right now, the street’s going to be closed until we get to a point where we think we can try to address it.”
Monday’s flash flooding widened the sinkholes.
“It basically widened them out quite a bit, ate some more material out from the ground around them and caused one of them to grow larger over off the street a little bit to the west of the bridge there,” Grambling said.
Grambling said there are at least 40 sinkholes in the area.
Residents reported another sinkhole on a property at South Ellis Street, but Grambling says it was simply a collapsed septic tank.
