BLAKELY — A driveway on Lincoln Avenue has been restored after a massive sinkhole opened up late Friday night, consuming an entire vehicle and prompting an emergency response from utility crews and recovery specialists.
The incident occurred at 1157 Lincoln Ave., where residents awoke at approximately 1:00 a.m. Saturday to find their car had disappeared into the earth.
A 45-foot drop
Fire officials described the sinkhole as a staggering 30 feet wide and 45 feet deep. Despite the dramatic size of the crater, no injuries were reported as the vehicle was unoccupied at the time of the collapse.
The recovery of the vehicle required specialized equipment:
Recovery: A crew from NEPA Towing and Recovery arrived early Saturday morning.
Extraction: Using specialized straps to secure the car, the team managed to hoist the vehicle from the pit in about an hour.
Damage: The car, an older model Honda, sustained heavy structural damage and was declared undrivable.
Water main repairs and restoration
Pennsylvania American Water took the lead on the restoration project, contracting RLE Enterprises to stabilize the site. The repair process involved a multi-step engineering approach to ensure the ground was secure:
Initial Fill: The hole was filled up to the level of the existing water main.
Infrastructure Repair: Crews repaired the damaged section of the water pipe.
Final Patching: The remainder of the 45-foot crater was filled and the driveway surface was patched.
By Sunday, the area was cleared and the sinkhole was successfully filled, though the sudden collapse serves as a stark reminder of the geological instability that can occur in the region's former mining and utility corridors.
