Missouri resident fears growing sinkhole in front of his home

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis City resident is concerned with a sinkhole that is swallowing up his front yard and part of the road in front of his home near Gravois Park.

“Our sinkhole, we’ve named her (Bertha). She now has an orange necklace. We moved in here in January, February of this year,” James Miller said.

Pictures from move-in day show a dip in the yard. Miller said that dip grew significantly over the summer. He filed a report with the citizens services bureau and reached out to the city for help.

“The rains got really bad mid-July. That’s when the gap expanded, and the cracks started expanding in the road,” he said. “I sent an email to Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier (Ward 7) and never heard back from her…The MSD team came out and tested the pipes and said our pipes are just fine; it’s not our problem, and they left.”

The shock of the size of the sinkhole has worn off Miller. He can’t park in front of his home, the steps are growing steeper, and then there is the gaping hole.

“Now we can clearly see the fruit cellar, and I’m worried about animals getting in there and dying, causing a health problem. Not to mention the house falling into the sinkhole,” Miller added.

The issues from the sinkhole seem to stop at the porch. Luckily, the inside isn’t impacted yet, but Miller fears it is only a matter of time.

“People walking by, they’ll gawk. People driving by, they’ll slow down. I was out here last weekend, and someone rolled down his window and said, ‘You should get that checked out,'” he said.

NewsNation affiliate KTVI reached out to the city for a response about the sinkhole but has not heard back yet.

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