Repaired road over Japan’s giant sinkhole is sinking again

FUKUOKA — A giant sinkhole in the Japanese city of Fukuoka that was repaired quickly seems to be sinking again, reported The Japan Times.

A 30-metre wide sinkhole opened suddenly earlier on Nov 8 at a busy intersection, swallowing five lanes and flooding the area with water. It was then repaired in a week, impressing observers worldwide.

However, the road has since showed signs of movement — it sunk slightly on Saturday (Nov 26) morning. The police closed part of the road at 1.45am and reopened it at 5.30am when it was checked to be safe for traffic. No injuries were reported.
  
The gigantic sinkhole, measuring around 30m wide and 15m deep, appeared last Tuesday in a bustling business district in Fukuoka.

A government official from Fukuoka Municipal said an extended section of the road had sunk by up to 7cm. Police said that this was expected to happen.

While the sinkhole on Nov 8 disrupted traffic, power and banking systems, there were no such disruptions or blackouts and gas leaks associated with Saturday's incident.

The Fukuoka Municipal Government also said that the special mix of soil and cement used to fill the sinkhole might have also compressed a layer of soil underneath. It took 6,200 cubic m of the special mixture to fill the gaping hole.

Fukuoka mayor Soichiro Takashima took to Facebook to apologise for not warning residents the ground could sink again.