STAR CITY, W.Va. – The Star City sinkhole off Monongahela Boulevard in the parking lot of the former Texas Roadhouse has not been an issue but a sinkhole in another part of a state is raising concerns.
Star City Recorder Steve Blinco said a sinkhole in Hinton has grown to a point that it’s going to cost $6 million to repair. He said the Star City sinkhole is within 100-feet of Monongahela Boulevard and could become a major emergency. The potential cause and cost to fix the hole is a mystery and a big concern for Star City and Blinko believes it should be concern for the county and other municipalities.
“It’s kind of just been slow rolled,” Blinco said. during a Wednesday appearance on WAJR’s ‘Talk of the Town.” “So this has been going on since 2016 all the way up now to present so we’re wondering when a solution and when ownership will be taken.”
Blinco said they have confirmed with adjacent property owners and maps that the property is in the DOH right-of-way. The hole is also in the area of a MUB vent and access point and officials from the utility also said the hole is in the DOH right-of-way.
Currently the hole is about a 15-feet wide circle with orange barriers on the perimeter, some with the appearance they’re falling into the hole.
“It’s being monitored by the Monongalia DOH administrator and the DOH District 4 Heavy Maintenance Team and that’s directly from email that I received on August 31 this year,” Blinco said. “I have had no other communications since.”
Blinco said attempts to fix the hole have been made in the past but have not been able to keep the hole from growing. None of the attempts to fix the problem have revealed the possible cause.
“At points it had been filled with concrete, at points it opened back up and was filled in with larger sections of concrete,” Blinco said. “Here we are heading into 2023 and it’s wide open.”
Blinco speculated that increased runoff from development in the area or a problem with the Popenoe Run drainage could be the problem. But, Blinco said there has never been a look in the hole to identify the cause.
“We need to get down there and see what’s happening, what potentially is going on down in that sink hole,” Blinco said. “Is there a broken pipe? Is there way too much water coming through down there? We just don’t know.”
Blinco said if the problem becomes a problem for Monongahela Boulevard that will be a problem for the entire community. University Avenue is not adequate and could not handle the extra traffic if the thoroughfare had to be closed for any length of time.
“That road is so heavily traveled by people going to the hospital, going to school, businesses and WVU,” Blinco said. “We can’t have anything happen to that boulevard, so that’s why we’re hoping to sound the alarm and get some attention paid to it very soon.”
Blinco would like to talk to anyone who may have any information about the situation to call Star City at 304-599-3550. Residents are also encouraged to attend the next meeting of the Star City Council on Tuesday, December 20 at 6 p.m.