Cape Coral road sinking 80 feet wide, city approves $500K emergency fix

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—An 80-foot-wide section of road is sinking, and city leaders have approved spending up to $500,000 on an emergency repair.

The sinking is happening in front of 1521 Northwest 16th Terrace. Public Works says preliminary findings point to shallow levels of the aquifer as the cause, but the city is still waiting on the final geotechnical report.

Engineers have spent about two and a half months testing the ground. The city is now preparing to stabilize what's underneath the road.

"Effectively, they're going to inject a lightweight concrete to provide some subterranean support, if you will, to provide a basis for that road to be repaved," Deputy Public Works Director and Chief Engineer Bill Corbett said.

Jack Johnson says the sinking road has become a problem on his property too. He says his driveway is also sinking, leaving his family with damage he says could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix.

During a meeting, two councilmembers said they reached out to Builders Care to see if the organization can assist the Johnson family with his driveway. Public Works says it hopes to have a contractor out there within the next few weeks.

The city has authorized up to $500,000 for the emergency repair, with the goal of stabilizing the ground and then repaving the road.