Granite City officials respond to Iowa Street sinkhole after Facebook post

GRANITE CITY, Ill. (First Alert 4) - A contractor for Illinois American Water worked Monday on a sinkhole under Iowa Street in Granite City after an 11-year-old boy found a hole at the edge of the road Saturday.

A.J. Buchen walked past the hole and looked into it with an adult. They found a large empty space beneath the street.

“I was thinking like someone could get hurt and have to go to the hospital,” Buchen said.

Facebook post prompts city response

A.J. told his mother, Ashly Buchen, about the hole. She posted about the sinkhole on Facebook on Saturday.

“I thought that someone’s kid, someone’s pet, something’s going to get hurt. If not, a big old vehicle coming through here and the road caving in on them. I just see it being a disaster,” Ashly Buchen said.

Granite City officials saw the post and responded the same day. Rick Daily, the city’s public works director, said the sinkhole was larger than a small sinkhole.

“This one was a little bit more than a small sinkhole. So, we had guys bring out barricades. We secured the area and we addressed it today,” Daily said.

No active leak found

Illinois American Water was called to dig through the pavement to check whether a water main leak was washing away soil. No active leak was found. The problem may date back years to something previously built at the site.

“We did find a lot of debris down there like brick and stone and different things that may have just settled over the course of time,” Daily said.

According to a spokesperson for Illinois American Water, it appears that an old, buried structure gave way over time.

Risk to traffic

Iowa Street is not a major thoroughfare. Gateway Regional Medical Center is nearby.

Daily was asked how likely it was that the sinkhole could have caused the street to cave in.

“Heavy-size load possibly. But I don’t think a car would have collapsed it. But we weren’t going to take a chance,” Daily said.

Hole filled with gravel

The hole was filled with gravel. Ashly Buchen said she is proud of the city’s response.

“I’m so proud of our city at this point. I’m really proud of them. The way that they was able to jump on it and prevent a problem before it became a bigger one,” she said.

A crew was scheduled to return the following day to cover the gravel with concrete.