Section of Cobb Road closed by sinkhole in Trigg County

Source: Section of Cobb Road closed by sinkhole in Trigg County | WHOP 1230 AM | News Radio A section of Cobb Road in northern Trigg County is closed due to the formation of a sinkhole between the 4 and 5 mile marker not far from the Brushy Grove Creek Bridge. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says it’s about two miles west of the Cerulean Community and a little less than a mile east of the Trigg-Caldwell County Line. A contract mowing crew was working along the right-of-way Wednesday when one of the tractors broke through the surface.  On investigation, the crew discovered a hole created by the tractor at the edge of the pavement was about 8 feet deep and extended out under the pavement about 10 feet or more. Cobb Road is closed and barricaded at the site as state officials develop a repair plan. The Cabinet says while sinkholes are not uncommon in areas with karst topography, this appears to be one of the larger holes to develop in recent years. Depending on the depth of the sinkhole, Cobb Road could be closed at the site for several days or more.

Kentucky seeks action against West Virginia’s Governor’s coal companies

Source: Kentucky seeks action against WVa gov's coal companies - LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Regulators want the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to pay a penalty and follow through on a promise to fix environmental problems at eastern Kentucky coal mines. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet asked a circuit judge this week to enforce an agreement over reclamation violations against Justice; his son, Jay Justice; and several family coal companies. It included a $3 million penalty, plus interest, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. In a motion filed in Franklin County, the Kentucky agency wants to revoke five permits at Justice-company mines and seize money that had previously been posted for reclamation. The motion seeks to force the companies to fix the site violations and block any new or amended permits until then. The Justices and their companies “have been provided many second chances to meet their permit obligations and time and again have failed,” the motion said. Lexington attorney Richard Getty, who represents the family, said the state’s request was “unnecessarily severe.” Justice has said many of the violations were inherited when he acquired the properties. The companies admitted to hundreds of reclamation violations in eastern Kentucky in 2014 and agreed to monitor water quality, fix drainage problems, stabilize landslides, clean out sediment ponds and eliminate highwalls at dozens of mines. After the companies missed a deadline to fix the issues, the state sued in 2015 to enforce the earlier agreement. A new settlement was reached in 2019 setting deadlines to complete reclamation work at five mines, along with other requirements. Last year, Justice's companies agreed to pay more than $5 million for thousands of mine safety violations in a civil case brought by prosecutors in Virginia on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor and the Mine Safety and [...]

Detecting a sinkhole: New device geared for homeowners – wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather & Sports

Detecting a sinkhole: New device geared for homeowners Karst map for the state of Kentucky (Source: Kentucky Geological Society)Karst map for the state of Kentucky (Source: Kentucky Geological Society) Map showing Karst in Indiana. (Source: Indiana Geological Survey)Map showing Karst in Indiana. (Source: Indiana Geological Survey) Matt Dettman developed MSEDS, short for Mechanical Sinkhole Early Detection System.Matt Dettman developed MSEDS, short for Mechanical Sinkhole Early Detection System.LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - It could cost big bucks to detect whether a sinkhole could open up, but soon there may be a device developed in Kentucky to keep families safe nationwide.MORESLIDESHOW: How karst sinkholes formLearn how karst sinkholes form and whether or not you live in an at risk area.MoreGeological surveys to predict a sinkhole cost tens of thousands of dollars. Companies shell out $10,000 to $20,000 for a geotechnical and subsurface investigation before construction.The process isn't necessarily feasible for everyday people.However, a Western Kentucky University Geotechnical Engineer developed a device to detect what's happening beneath your feet.Karst terrain covers more than half of Kentucky. Karst sinkholes form when the bedrock of the Earth is slowly worn away by erosion.[SLIDESHOW: How karst sinkholes form]Under the top soil is a layer called the overburden. Under that is bedrock, which may seem tough and solid, but it's actually filled with cracks and crevices water is constantly seeping through and infiltrating. As the water erodes the bedrock, the overburden starts to fall down into the space left behind. Years later, all that's left is a thin layer and the potential for a sinkhole to open up.However, if there's a slab over the surface you may not know there's a problem until it's too late. That's why Matt Dettman developed MSEDS, short for Mechanical Sinkhole Early Detection System. Dettman is a WKU Associate Professor of Civil Engineering [...]

MSD budgets $200 million for Ohio River Tunnel project – WDRB 41 Louisville News

The Metropolitan Sewer District is budgeting $200 million for the Ohio River Tunnel project to improve water quality in Louisville. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The Metropolitan Sewer District is budgeting $200 million for the Ohio River Tunnel project to improve water quality in Louisville. According to Jacob Mathis, an MSD engineer and manager of this project, just a tenth-of-an-inch of rain can overwhelm parts of the sewer system in the district, sending stormwater and drainage straight into the Ohio River or Beargrass Creek. “In a typical year, there’d be four billion gallons of sewage released into these waterways,” Mathis said. In hopes to reduce sewer drainage across the country, the federal government is requiring communities to find ways to mitigate the damage by Dec. 31, 2020. If Louisville does not meet the deadline, the government could enforce fines or penalties. In response, MSD engineers devised a plan of three new basins in three different neighborhoods to store overflow. But there were concerns over how much that could interrupt construction, business and daily life. MSD decided to take a different route and came up with the Ohio River Tunnel project. “This project is one of the first of its kind in Louisville or even the state of Kentucky,” Mathis said. Engineers describe it as being on the same level and magnitude as the Ohio River bridges undertaking. But this project is intended to be out of sight, out of mind. “There will be less disruption to the community itself with traffic impacts, economic impacts,” Mathis said. “We won’t disturb the big economic corridor along Main Street.” The tunnel will start underneath what will be the western part of Waterfront Park near 13th and Rowan Streets. It’ll head east underneath the Ohio River towards I-64. At the Second Street Bridge, the tunnel then jogs inland to Butchertown. [...]

Upcoming Tunneling Projects – Tunnel

2/10/2016 Upcoming Tunneling Projects CALIFORNIA Laguna Beach Tunnel   Stabilization   and   Sewer   Pipeline   Replacement Approved by the South Coast Water District Board of Directors in 2010 and the City of Laguna Beach in late 2013, the Tunnel Stabilization & Sewer Pipeline Replacement Project (Tunnel Project) is a 100-year solution to protect the environment, local economies and neighboring communities. The project comprises two key components: Tunnel Stabilization: The District will enlarge the size of the tunnel from an average of 6 to 9 ft. This will ensure safer working conditions and greater access for future pipeline maintenance and repair. Permanent shotcrete lining and steel supports will be installed at several locations where required, replacing rotten timber supports and removal of loose rock that currently exist. Pipeline Replacement: The District will install a new 24-in. pipeline throughout the tunnel. The current pipeline – also 24 in. in diameter – will be encased in concrete, but preserved for redundancy and emergency use. The cost to repair the tunnel is estimated at approximately $90 million and will be funded through low-interest state loans, grants and the District’s general fund. Shortlisted tunnel contractors announcement was anticipated for 2014-2015 with request for bids expected in 2015 and NTP in 2015-2016. Los Angeles The   North East   Interceptor   Sewer   (NEIS)   Phase   2A The North East Interceptor Sewer (NEIS) Phase 2A project is currently the northern extension of the NEIS Phase 1 project. The project will construct approximately 3.03 miles of 8-ft diameter sewer in tunnel and associated structures. The sewer will be constructed from the Division St. Shaft site, near the intersection of San Fernando Road and Cazador Street and terminate at the northern overflow parking lot for the Pony and Train Rides in Griffith Park, just north of the I-5 Griffith Park On/Off Ramps (I-5 Shaft Site) east [...]

I-65 construction south of Indy tests commuters’ patience

Trips from Southport to southern Johnson County can take up to an hour longer Story Highlights More than $286M in road projects from Indy to Louisville on I-65 this summer. 20 motorists have died in accidents on I-65 this year Southside commuters are swerving, merging and yielding a lot for road construction this summer — and there’s little relief in sight. From Southport Road to Edinburgh and beyond, concrete testing barricades and orange traffic barrels on Interstate 65 have led drivers through myriad lane shifts and closures, adding precious time to rush-hour commutes, as the highway and bridges are rebuilt or repaired. Alternative routes, including portions of U.S. 31, also are being revamped. “There aren’t too many areas (of I-65) where we don’t have construction testing and inspection going on right now,” said Indiana Department of Transportation spokesman Harry Maginity. “If you are driving from Indianapolis to Louisville (Ky.), you are going to see a lot of it all year.” INDIANAPOLIS STAR I-65 NB lanes reopen in Lafayette area The biggest projects are on I-65 around Greenwood where about 63,000 cars travel both ways each day. Heavy machinery in the blocked-off medians and on bridges has made space in the travel lanes tight and twisting. Combined with reduced speeds, the journey in and out of Indianapolis can add more than hour of travel time for a trip between Southport and Edinburgh. “Our drivers plan that a trip from I-465 on the Southside to Edinburgh is going to be 45 minutes slower,” said Tim Piper, owner of Same Day Transportation, Indianapolis, which has 35 trucks. “If there’s an accident, it’s going to be even longer.” Overall, INDOT Construction Testing is doing three repair projects worth a combined $156 million on I-65 in the metro area. Four other projects to the Kentucky [...]

Louisville Indiana – Kentucky Ohio River Bridges Project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26r9MpVATsI Today's "Walk the Bridge" event attracted tens of thousands of people. The Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project addresses cross-river transportation needs in Louisville, Kentucky and Southern Indiana and will result in safer travel, less congestion and improved access to destinations in the region. LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Governor Steve Beshear announced that the new Ohio River bridge between Kentucky and Indiana in downtown Louisville will be named the Abraham Lincoln Bridge – connecting, as it does, the states of Lincoln’s birth and raising. “Lincoln led our nation through its bloodiest and greatest constitutional and political crisis – the American Civil War,” Gov. Beshear said. “But at the end of that national trauma, we remained a ‘United’ States of America. It’s therefore fitting that we honor Lincoln’s legacy with a bridge that further unites Kentucky, where he was born, with Indiana then Illinois, where he emigrated as a youth and grew to adulthood.” Kentucky and Indiana jointly are building the bridges project to improve cross-river mobility between Louisville and Southern Indiana. The project also includes construction of a new bridge eight miles upriver, connecting Prospect, Kentucky, and Utica, Indiana.  

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