Calgary road crews forced to fix 101 flood sinkholes
City plans to spend $7.9M to fix flood-damaged roads
The City of Calgary is struggling to fix over 101 sinkholes that have opened up on city roads after flooding devastated the area last month.
- Listen to CBC's Angela Knight report on sinkholes in the city:
Sinkholes are formed through water movement underground. The water washes away silt and other fine materials in the ground creating a cavity, and once a load is placed on top of the area a sinkhole forms.
Transportation spokesperson Peter Jacoby said the price tag is not cheap, especially for the larger sinkholes that have caused so much damage that the road needs to be completely reconstructed.
"We do have four large extensive sinkholes that we're going to have to repair," said Jacoby.
"We're estimating those four holes alone will cost $7.2 million."
The city has repaired over 58 sinkholes so far since the flood. Usually the city only sees 10 sinkholes a year.