A three-foot-wide sinkhole disrupted traffic Tuesday afternoon after opening up in the southbound lane of Morse Boulevard near the exit to Lake Sumter Landing.
The hole in the pavement initially appeared to about three feet in diameter and three feet in depth. The sound of rushing water could be heard coming from the hole. The curb next to the hole appeared to be undermined and the ground next to the curb had sunk down.
Red flags were placed to outline the sunken area. About 10 feet south of the sinkhole workers had also flagged an area where the ground had subsided.
A Sumter County Public Works Department employee indicated that the collapsed roadway was near a junction box and it appeared that a leak in the junction box may have allowed water to undermine the pavement. He said that the repair work would begin Wednesday and should be completed by this weekend.
It is highly likely that the formation of the sinkhole was triggered by the heavy rainfall dumped on The Villages by Tropical Storm Debby.