Newport Police are asking drivers to avoid main street as a sinkhole has formed.
(NEWPORT, TN) SMOKIES.LIVE – Police in Newport are rerouting drivers after a sinkhole formed during the heavy rains on Sunday morning.
Police ask drivers to avoid Main Street from Jefferson Avenue to Broadway ‘out of an abundance of caution,’ according to a memo from the police department.
The road will stay closed until a complete evaluation has been completed and the road is deemed safe.
Sinkholes can open without warning, swallowing roads, cars and sometimes homes, but geologists say most form gradually as water erodes rock beneath the surface. They are most common in areas with limestone, gypsum or other soluble bedrock.
Heavy rain, drought, groundwater pumping and leaking pipes can accelerate the process. Officials often urge residents to watch for cracks in walls, sagging ground, tilting trees or doors that no longer close properly.
While dramatic collapses draw headlines, experts say many sinkholes are small and manageable when detected early through inspection, drainage control and repairs to underground infrastructure.
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