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Huge Sinkhole Opens In College Football Stadium

A 40-by-40-foot sinkhole has opened beneath Austin Peay State University's stadium. But crews say planned stadium construction remains on track.
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A sinkhole has opened beneath a college football stadium.

But before you speculate, no Batman villains had anything to do with this one. (Via Warner Bros. / "The Dark Knight Rises")

As this WSMV photographer noted, it's massive. But the hole in Austin Peay State University's Governors Stadium reportedly started out small —  a 3-by-5-foot gap. (Via Twitter / @AmberUngaroWSMV)

Then, ABC reports, "Workers had to make it bigger, extending it to 40-by-40 feet as they search for stable bedrock."

WTVF reports crews discovered the hole in the end zone about a month ago.

"We're not going to skip any steps. That's the reason I brought the engineers back out — because it's not going the way we thought it was going to."

That said, the university claims construction to replace the main stadium building is still on track because, well, sinkholes are expected.

WSMV reports, "Austin P campus sits on land called 'karst.'"

 

"Which means we have a limestone base underneath us. And limestone is porous, and it disintegrates from rain over the centuries. So it creates a lot of sinkholes."

The project's superintendent told The Leaf Chronicle, "We actually put a line item in the budget for sinkhole remediation." And even a pit this size "shouldn't affect the budget or schedule."

The crew plans to patch up a few smaller sinkholes in the parking lot as well. No injuries have been reported.