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Alex Cabrero Reporting A huge sinkhole swallowed an Idaho highway that many Utahns drive to go snowmobiling. The hole is about 30 feet deep and 25 feet in diameter. But maybe the biggest measure as to how deep this sinkhole is, is counting how many people are coming to see it.
People in Franklin County, Idaho know you need good tires to drive Cub River Road, but not even the best tires get over this.
Bill Palmer: "I couldn't believe there was this big a hole in the county."
Thirty feet deep, 25 feet around, it's become quite an attraction.
Bill Palmer: "Everybody in the county is talking about it."
Alan Carter: "Oh yeah, there have been a lot of people up to view it."
Even though the road is closed, good luck trying to stop people.
Brooks Moser: "We just heard about the hole and we figured we'd come up to look at it."
Scott Egbert: "It's huge. Walking up to it, it doesn't look that big, and then you peak over the edge and it's 20 feet deep."
Road crews are trying to figure out exactly what caused the sinkhole. It started caving in last week with all the rain, but it was small. Then, over the weekend, it got bigger.
Alan Carter, Franklin County Commissioner: "It was deep, and the bad thing was it was really dark the day we found it. You couldn't see the bottom, but you could hear water running through it."
But for as much attention as this big hole is getting, now comes the tough part for the county, they have to fix it.
Troy Moser: "It could collapse at any time."
Troy Moser, the county's road supervisor, wants to get it fixed next week. Just past this point is a popular place for weekend snowmobilers.
Alan Carter: "We're afraid people are gonna want to drive across it and cause a further collapse."
Crews plan to fill the hole with boulders, dirt, and gravel, and do it right away no matter what the cost.
Troy Moser: "It's gonna cost the same if we fix it now or a month form now, so we'll jump on it."
They're not sure how much it will cost to fix the road, but with a county as small as Franklin, commissioners say it'll take a big chunk out of their budget.
