State contractors have started investigating subsidence-related holes that have opened close to Interstate 80 near Rock Springs, according to Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality officials. The openings are about 150 feet from I-80 near the Pilot Butte Avenue interchange. They don't pose a threat to the interstate or any other nearby roads, DEQ spokesman Keith Guille said. But Guille said Abandoned Mine Lands Division contractors will examine how best to mitigate the 8- to 10-foot-wide holes, which are thought to be historical vent shafts from the now-abandoned Nos. 7 and 9 mines. City of Rock Springs officials told the state about the openings on Monday, Guille said. A local resident had informed the city.
For nearly a century, coal miners carved out miles of shafts underneath Rock Springs and the surrounding area. But since the last mine closed almost 50 years ago, the shafts have started to collapse in places, creating sinkholes. For the past 30 or so years, the state has spent $160 million trying to fix the subsidence problem in Rock Springs and the surrounding area - from identifying where the mine shafts are to pumping in grout to act as support columns. Guille said state workers performed some grouting work near the Pilot Butte interchange three years ago.
For nearly a century, coal miners carved out miles of shafts underneath Rock Springs and the surrounding area. But since the last mine closed almost 50 years ago, the shafts have started to collapse in places, creating sinkholes. For the past 30 or so years, the state has spent $160 million trying to fix the subsidence problem in Rock Springs and the surrounding area - from identifying where the mine shafts are to pumping in grout to act as support columns. Guille said state workers performed some grouting work near the Pilot Butte interchange three years ago.
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