GOVERLAND, Fla. — A massive roadway depression on Empire Church Road has forced the closure of a major thoroughfare in Groveland.
The road is currently closed to all traffic between Bear Lake Road and Edgehill Drive after a Groveland Battalion Chief reported the hole Monday morning.
Lake County officials estimate the hole is 90 feet wide, 200 feet long and 50 feet deep. The depression has grown in size since it was first discovered, impacting approximately 1,400 motorists who travel the road daily.
Traffic is currently being rerouted through Mascotte Empire Road.
Groveland resident Christine Boothe lives next door to where the roadway split open.
She expressed concern about the scale of the opening and its proximity to utility infrastructure. “You could have stacked two cars in there,” Boothe said. “It’s the whole road all the way across plus underneath the powerline.”
Boothe added that she is worried about potential utility outages. “I hope it don’t take the powerline. I need my electricity,” she said.
The closure has significantly increased travel distances for those living in the immediate area. Boothe said a trip to a friend’s house that is normally two miles away has now significantly increased. “It’s several miles out of the way,” Boothe said.
Another resident with nearby property, came across the depression as he was on the way to check on his llivestock. “I got my property right there,” he said. “I got to go around to see my pigs.”
Lake County crews were observed at the site Monday afternoon collecting soil samples. Workers also used a ground-penetrating radar device to inspect the area. The county is conducting a geotechnical analysis to determine if the depression is a sinkhole.
This incident follows previous roadway washouts on Donnelly Street and Wolf Branch Road caused by historic rainfall.
Some residents have expressed frustration with the condition of local infrastructure amid increased development in the area. Don Dennis, a local resident, described the current state of the transportation network. “Lake County has some of the absolute worst roads,” Dennis said. “This is one of them.”
The closure is also impacting local student transportation. A spokesperson for Lake County Schools confirmed that three students at South Lake High School and two at Grassy Lake Elementary take a bus that usually travels this route. The school district notified parents that they will need to pick up their children or make other transportation arrangements.
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