Roadside depression disrupts traffic on C.R. 46A in Lake

Traffic on Lake County Road 46A was disrupted Wednesday after a small depression opened up near the road’s intersection with State Road 46.

It’s the latest in a series of holes that have opened along roads or in neighborhoods since Sept. 11 when Hurricane Irma struck Central Florida.

Work crews closed the twolane road to one lane and poured lime rock into the depression, which measured about 25 feet in diameter, said Mary Brooks, spokeswoman for the Wekiva Parkway project.

The crews were expected to pave the plugged hole and reopen the northbound lane by the end of the day.

The depression, reported about 6:45 a.m., caused the shoulder of the road to drop about a foot or so.

Sinkholes often come in batches in the aftermath of a large storm like Irma, experts say.

Since Irma, six sinkholes or depressions have opened up in northern Orange or eastern Lake counties. One hole forced the Central Florida Expressway Authority to close a northbound lane on a new tolled stretch of State Road 429 while it was repaired.

Heavy rain can trigger sinkholes. Sinkholes are natural occurrences caused by the erosion of bedrock over time and can open without provocation, experts say. Florida sits on a limestone bed, making the state particularly vulnerable.

Brooks said it’s not clear what caused the depression to open on C.R. 46A, which will be realigned as part of the Wekiva Parkway project.

Two holes opened near homes on West Kelly Park Road in September, including a 15-foot crater that swallowed the home of Gary and Ellen Miller.

They had lived in the home for 49 years.

After Irma deluged Central Florida, more than 50 holes were reported in Marion County, another area prone to sinkholes.