On Tuesday, Washington State Route 529 had to be shut down after a hole formed from "an individual tunneling underneath," according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
Crews shut down the road around 9 a.m. and after working on the hole, the road was reopened at 3 p.m.
“A 12-inch-by-12-inch hole on the surface which upon further investigation underneath was a three feet deep, four feet wide hole from an individual who had been tunneling underneath the roadway,” WSDOT Spokesperson James Poling told KIRO Newsradio.
Crews removed the damaged asphalt and cleaned the void. They backfilled with gravel and resurfaced the asphalt.
Washington State Patrol is investigating the damage. It is unknown who was responsible for the hole.
"That weakened the support of the road and ultimately caused the hole to form," said Poling. "If we didn't shut down the road and someone was inside that tunnel, they had car wheels potentially crushing down on them, depending on the stability of the hole. That's very unsafe and could be deadly."
Authorities were diverting vehicles to use alternative routes. Traffic was being diverted off to East Marine View Drive, then back onto southbound SR 529/Broadway, and using Everett Avenue to connect to Interstate 5.
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Source: Fox 13 Seattle, King-TV Seattle, KIRO News Radio
