Sinkhole repaired, I-24 reopens

Interstate 24 eastbound in Grundy County has reopened to traffic, transportation officials say.

In a news release, Tennessee Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jennifer Flynn said repairs to a massive sinkhole that developed this week have been repaired. The eastbound lanes reopened at approximately 6:50 a.m. EDT.

I-24 had been closed since the sinkhole opened Tuesday in the eastbound lanes near the Grundy-Coffee County line.

TDOT awarded an emergency repair contract to Highways Inc., whose crews worked around the clock to stabilize and repair the area. The initial sinkhole was 25 feet deep and covered the entire inside lane and a portion of the outside lane of I-24 East between mile marker 127 and exit 127.

Crews had to excavate 35 feet to reach the bottom of the sinkhole and remove unstable material. The area was then filled in with more than 5,400 tons of graded solid rock and repaved.

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