Sinkhole Swallows Cars In Chicago: How Many Are Hurt?

A sinkhole swallowed three cars in Chicago Thursday afternoon. The crevasse opened up in the city's South Deering neighborhood around the location of 9600 S. Houston Avenue. Three parked cars will immediately lost to the monster sinkhole.

Bad weather, marked notably by heavy rains ravaged the Midwest recently, which may be to blame for the sinkhole that swallowed the cars in Chicago. Sinkholes are often formed after rain or even wintry weather. Water seeps through semi-porous and porous surfaces such as asphalt and degrades the earthen material underneath. The asphalt then buckles under its own weight, similar to its more common smaller cousin, the pothole. Any acidity in the rainwater accelerates the decay of subterranean matter.

In the Chicago sinkhole's case, a 100-year-old water main deteriorated and broke following the rainfall, causing the Earth to open up. Merko Krivokuca, on his way to work, unknowingly drove into the gaping sinkhole. He was taken to a local hospital for scrapes and bruises.

In the past, sinkholes have caused major headaches for people in all parts of the country. Florida has had a number of sinkholes appear in recent years, and most notably, in 2004, Route 33, a major connector between southeastern Pennsylvania and the Pocono Mountains was shut down due to multiple sinkholes. The expressway, seen as the only realistic freeway alternative to the Pennsylvania Turnpike, runs from Glendon, Pa at Interstate 78 to Interstate 80 in Bartonsville. Both termini are major regional connectors to New York City.

Pennsylvania, like Florida is composed mostly of limestone, which becomes very fragile when in contact with water. A sizable sinkhole opened up on Route 33 in the Nazareth area, directly under a support beam for a major overpass, affecting two major routes at once. Soon, a second sinkhole appeared near a bridge over Bushkill Creek near Wind Gap. The highway was closed in both directions for a time, before PennDOT could shift traffic from the northbound side to the southbound side as needed while they repaired the major artery.