A massive sinkhole opened up off Baseline Road in Marion County on Tuesday night – the second such incident to happen along the busy roadway this week.
The collapse followed several days of heavy rain and was intruding into the sidewalk along the southbound lanes of the roadway. The incident forced officials to shut down the southbound lanes of Baseline Road at Aspen Road.
Marion County sheriff’s Sgt. Paul Bloom said engineers from the Florida Department of Transportation were working on the collapse and hoping to get a southbound lane opened up as soon as possible.
The latest collapse followed a similar incident early Sunday morning that saw a large sinkhole open up at the intersection of Baseline Road and Dogwood Road. That sinkhole, which was still being repaired Tuesday, took down a large utility pole that held up signal lights and resulted in a traffic collision that left a 60-year-old Summerfield man seriously injured.
“There are traffic delays on Baseline, different traffic patterns,” Bloom said, while encouraging motorists to avoid the area if at all possible.
Bloom added that if motorists have to drive near the two sinkhole areas, they should slow down and give workers room to safely make repairs.
“This is not going to be something they fix overnight,” he said. “It’s a pretty good-sized opening that has happened. And it’s still happening.”