$10M sinkhole forms at Bradley International Airport
WINDSOR LOCKS — The Connecticut Airport Authority has confirmed that a sinkhole formed at the perimeter of Bradley International Airport in December. In a statement provided to CT Insider, CAA spokesperson Brian Spyros said that the sinkhole had been “temporarily filled and stabilized.”
“The location of the sinkhole is isolated and is in no way compromising the safety of the airport or affecting flights,” Spyros wrote in an email. No one had been injured by the sinkhole, he added.
According to agency officials, the sinkhole formed around Dec. 4. The 20by-20 foot sinkhole grew to a depth of 35 feet, large enough to swallow a car or small truck.
The sinkhole was caused by a failed underground storm pipe, officials from the quasi-public state agency said. When excess water leaks underground, it can erode finergrained sediments, carrying
it downward into pockets in the bedrock. As soil erodes, air pockets can
form underground. If there is not enough structural support for the land above, the surface can suddenly collapse.
Spyros told CT Insider that the CAA was currently assessing how much it
would cost to repair the damage and the storm pipe. The CAA had increased Bradley International's capital improvement funds by up to $10 million while the agency looks into alternate sources
of funds. The agency, which oversees operations and improvements at five other state-owned general aviation airports besides Bradley, will seek federal funding sources to cover repair costs.
Bradley International is New England's second busiest airport, according to the CAA and government officials.
In September, the Windsor Locks airport got approval for $99.27 million in federal funds for construction projects. Of that, $76.14 million was for a new inline baggage screening building, $17.96 million for a vertical circulation project and $278,643 for a taxiway extension project.
It's all part of an overall $151 million upgrade to Bradley's TSA baggage screening systems and expanded ticketing counters, which CAA officials say will help reduce lines and save travelers time. The new inline baggage screening building includes construction of a new TSA secure baggage inspections and baggage handling system, involving over a mile of conveyor belt systems. The airport's vertical circulation project will expand the terminal by an additional 22,000 square feet to accommodate new elevators and escalators at both ends of the building entrance. Construction on the project started in April and is expected to be completed sometime in the fall of 2025.