Sinkhole expanding in Raleigh parking lot
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The sinkhole by the Raleigh Grande Theater has expanded.
Parts of the pavement started disappearing in front of the theater in June.
Rain is reportedly the cause of the sinkhole's new growth and it is now fenced off.
Raleigh's Stormwater Program Manager Blair Hinkle tells Eyewitness News it will be up to the property owner to pay for repairs to the sinkhole. However, the city only offers funding for certain projects.
Hinkle said as a courtesy, the city put a camera down the 60-inch metal pipe to help its owners pinpoint the issue. He said the top of the pipe was crushed in at some point and may have been damaged when it was initially installed.
Still, the owner can apply for Raleigh's drainage assistance program which would cover 80 percent of repair costs, should the city council approve it.
Hinkle added, though, the city allots $750,000 a year to the drainage assistance program, which usually goes to covering seven or eight smaller projects. He said the sinkhole at Raleigh Grande would be much more costly than projects the city usually funds.
Until the sinkhole is repaired, Raleigh Grande is open for business, but the disappearing pavement is catching some moviegoers off-guard.
"I saw a couple people move their car and move it over to Target area just cause they weren't sure and we weren't really sure at first," said Robert Hughes, Carolina Cinemas Facilities Manager.
