Sinkhole closes Hwy 97

UPDATE: 5:50 a.m.

Crews worked overnight on the sinkhole that opened up underneath Highway 97 in Vernon, Tuesday.The highway was reopened just before 3 a.m., according to DriveBC.The closure rerouted traffic around one of Vernon's major intersections at the bottom of Hospital Hill, where Highway 97 and Highway 6 meet, beside Polson Park.
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By Darren Handschuh - CASTANET May 30, 2017 / 6:10 pm

A giant sinkhole has shut down Highway 97 in Vernon. Both the south and northbound lanes were closed Tuesday afternoon near the intersection with 25th Avenue after a hole was spotted in the southbound lane. Vernon Fire Rescue Cpt. Reinhard Mann said fire crews received a call about the the four-foot-wide opening only to discover it was much more serious. Mann estimates the sinkhole to be about 25 feet long, 15 feet wide and up to six feet deep. Vernon Creek exits Polson Park and goes under the highway where the washout

occurred. Mann said the extent of the sinkhole is not yet known, so all lanes of traffic were closed for safety reasons. “I'm surprised there isn't a vehicle in there,” said Mann from the scene. There is also a 30-inch pipe that has had the dirt completely washed away from it, leaving it suspended in mid air, but Mann did not know if it was a water main or sewer line. Traffic quickly backed up in both directions as vehicles were rerouted along 34th Street. Officials with the city and JPW Road and Bridge were examining the situation.