Deceptively small sinkhole 'you can't avoid' threatens to trap entire Virginia neighborhood

PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. — Residents on a Prince George County cul-de-sac are worried they might soon be trapped in their neighborhood because of a sinkhole that's much larger than it appears on the surface.

What looks like a small pothole in the middle of Shallowood Drive is actually a 2-foot-deep cavity with a hollow area extending beneath the visible opening.

"I got home it wasn't there. I went to dinner and it appeared," said Marissa Moore, who lives on the street.

Moore discovered the danger when driving around what she initially thought was just a pothole.

"I saw what looked to be a pothole and when I went to go around it, I saw it was a gaping hole, not a pothole," Moore said. "And when I looked down, it was completely empty."

A camera lowered into the hole confirmed Moore's description of the underground cavity.

"It's completely hollow on the inside — like the dirt and stuff has washed away," Moore said.

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This is particularly concerning for residents because Shallowood Drive provides the only access in and out of their neighborhood.

"Every day, the only way in and out is this street," said Deryl Gensler, another concerned neighbor.

Despite traffic cones marking the area, the hollow space extends beyond what's visible.

"Even with these cones here, that hole covers from both sides of the road," Gensler said. "So if you drive over it, you're still driving over the hole, you can't avoid it."

The affected portion of Shallowood Drive serves a small number of homes.

"Our street that we live on has a total of 8 houses on this side of the cul-de-sac," Moore said.

Residents worry about various scenarios, from daily inconveniences to serious emergencies.

"I'd hate to be on my way to work one day and fall in and have to call my supervisor and say I can't come to work," Gensler said.

Sarah Howard, another resident, expressed concern about access. "We're at a cul-de-sac here, so once the opens up, I'm like, whose yard am I driving through to get out?"

Moore highlighted a more serious worry about emergency services.

"That would put first responders at risk because they're having to drive their vehicles over it," Moore said.

Neighbors said they have contacted the Virginia Department of Transportation but haven't received satisfactory responses.

"The lady on the phone was not very nice and she seemed like I was exaggerating," Moore said.

For some residents, the fear of the sinkhole suddenly expanding is a daily concern.

"They should not have to fear for their life driving around every day," Moore said. "Is today the day the hole is going to cave in finally?"

County officials said that EMS coverage on Shallowood Drive should not be affected, but that fire calls would require extra effort.

VDOT officials said they would have a crew on-site Friday morning to begin repairs.

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