Sinkhole opens to 20 feet on Clermont roadway

CLERMONT, Fla. — Clermont city crews set up barricades complete with safety fencing after a sinkhole opened up on a roadway early Monday morning.

Crews were called to the intersection of Peaceful Valley Drive and Powderhorn Place Drive, in the Hartwood Reserve subdivision, about 2 a.m. after a hole about 20 feet wide opened up.

Fire crews said they didn't notice any other hazards or indicate any utilities have been compromised.

The hole shuts off the road to a cul-de-sac, so about a dozen homes were cut off from the rest of the neighborhood.

Crews have since constructed a temporary asphalt ramp around the barricades that allows cars to go over the curb and around the hole, but the path takes them through one homeowner's yard.

Officials said engineers will do some borings in close proximity to the sinkhole, and crews will be monitoring the hole for the next 24 hours.

Residents who spoke with Channel 9 said there have been some concerns about homes settling, with one man saying his neighbor moved out over it.

"They had 1-inch cracks," said neighbor Miles Hensley.

Others said the only serious issues have been confined to the private roads in the subdivision, not homes, and Monday's sinkhole happened far from anybody's foundation.

City workers have determined the hole was not caused by a water or sewer line break and that none of those utility services have been disrupted.

Since the hole is on a private road, it would most likely be up to the homeowners association to get it repaired.

The HOA already had an engineer assess the road, but there's no word on what the plan is moving forward.

WFTV