Large Augusta sinkhole being repaired, community reacts

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – A massive sinkhole that appeared on Wednesday night on Walton Way has community leaders and neighbors talking.

NewsChannel 6 was told that the sinkhole appeared around 8 p.m. at the entrance to the Windsor Court neighborhood, just four hours after a smaller hole beside it opened up.

“I said good grief. I had ridden over that spot going up Walton Way about 30 minutes before that happened,” said neighbor William Hunter Baggs Jr.

When asked if Baggs thought it was a safety concern, he said, “Yes, absolutely.”

He told us this isn’t the first time the ground has opened up in Windsor Court.

“We’ve had a sewer problem about several years ago that they had to dig up parts of the street and a couple of the yards. And they told me the sewage system is very old and they need to replace it at some point – it needs to be replaced now,” he said.

The smaller hole was patched up by Thursday morning and Augusta utility workers were assessing the larger hole.

District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith McKnight said it was caused by old sanitary sewer and storm lines.

“You have old sewer lines running up under these streets and people want to blame the city, but I will say this, our engineering department and crew were out last night late doing their job,” she said.

The utilities department has taken the lead on the issue and a contractor will repair the sinkhole.

With school starting soon at the old Langford Middle School across the street, the new temporary home for Belair Middle School students, it raises concerns about the underlying issue.

“I’m sure if they are right there at that spot then they will assess and look around that area, they won’t just cover this up and go on down the road,” Smith McKnight said.

Despite the concerns, it was a sight to behold.

“I just didn’t imagine that it would be that big,” said neighbor Larry Mills. “But, I think they’ll jump all over it. I think it’ll probably be taken care of pretty soon.”

As of right now, there isn’t a timeline for when the sinkhole will be fixed or when the utilities department will address the larger issue, but count on NewsChannel 6 to keep you updated.

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