Sinkhole repairs underway in DeBary

DEBARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Crews in Debary began filling in a sinkhole with grout Wednesday.  The work is happening right outside Joann Morales’ home. 

“It gives us something to do. We can sit out here and watch them work,” Morales said. 

Her back patio is feet away from the yellow tape wrapped around the sinkhole work area.  

“I really never thought that that would happen here,” said said. 

While the area looks pretty flat, there’s still a lot of work to do. Florida Transportation officials say crews are filling in cavities that we can’t see, under the dirt with grout, to stabilize the ground.  Workers started filling the hole with dirt Friday and then Saturday morning, officials say a waterline break caused it to sink deeper and expand.  Northbound lanes on the stretch of 17-92 near Hollow Pine Drive have been shut down. 

“It is very hectic, very inconvenient. Just to go to the store, Walmart down the road, it takes maybe walking, maybe five minutes. It takes 15 to 20 minutes because we have to go all the way around,” Liz Pabon, who lives near the sinkhole said about traffic. 

FDOT say it doesn’t know when everything will be repaired. It’s going to depend on what crews find underground. A tweet from the agency said to expect work to continue Thursday and into the weekend.