Crews have reopened the road after a water main break generated a sinkhole on Highway 70 East in Cookeville.
The incident was reported near the Beverly Hills Market and Chuck Johnson’s Nursery.
Nearby businesses were without water through the morning.
Steven Trojack said, "Great no work haha."
Before noon, water was restored.
Trojack said, "Ooo God yea! I was scared. When I was walking down though there I was looking I was almost scared to come up on him because the cracks in the road I didn't know if it was going to cave in like the ones you see on tv! It was really rough looking."
Some people wiggled around the barricade to make it it to Steven and Leslie's Grooming and dog training business.
Trojack said, "We got a few calls, 'Guess we can't get to you, you're closed. I guess we will have to rebook.' I was like no no no just come on!"
The dogs who made it, were washed eventually.
Trojack said, "Ooo yea it was dark brown, you can imagine it was pond water. It was not good!"
Crews with the City of Cookeville worked diligently for over 12 hours.
They patched the water main break and filled the hole with gravel.
Late in the afternoon, pavement was poured, and the road reopened.
Carey Phy said, "Yes it was a 14 inch water main break so it started to create a void and so that's why you see the damage that's been done."
Phy works for the City of Cookeville and she snapped photographs of the sinkhole before it was repaired that she gave to Channel5.
The sinkhole stretched into the parking lot at Nebor's I-40 Service. Last night it nearly swallowed one of their tow trucks.
Phy said, "Right now they've just been told not to occupy the business while we can have City officials heck out to make everything safe."
So as crews prepared to reopen the road this afternoon, doggies at the daycare got some extra lovin.'
Trojack said, "It's a slow day today... All of the equipment they were pulling in and out of the parking lot it's got them a little disturbed, but its part of life, ya gotta smile and hope things get better."
In a month, TDOT and the City of Cookeville will inspect the stretch of road to see if there is any settlement. If there is, they will fix it.
