A collapsed mine shaft near the intersection of State Street and NE 15th on Washington’s east side, has a six block area of State Street closed until further notice. Wastewater Superintendent Scott Rainey said the department received a call Tuesday, about what the caller thought was a collapsed sewer line just east of the 15thand State Street intersections. However, when City workers arrived they discovered a caved-in mine shaft. The cave-in resulted in a sink-hole is nearly 20 ft. deep, just off the roadway. An uncollapsed portion of the old shaft can be seen at the bottom of the sink-hole.
Wednesday morning, Mayor Joe Wellman announced that State Street, between NE 15th and NE 21st Streets, was closed to both vehicles and pedestrians until further notice. The Mayor urged everyone to avoid the area. However, patients and clients of Cullen Medical, The Prescription Shoppe Pharmacy, and Troy Stoll at Ft. Knox Investment Management can still access those businesses and residents on State Street can still access their homes from 21st Street and Williams Brothers Drive.
The Bureau of Mines was in Washington to assess the situation and the surrounding area, Wednesday. The Bureau of Mines determined the sink hole was due to the cave-in of an old slope mine. Rainey said the Bureau will return on Tuesday, to begin work on the sink hole and the, now visible, shaft.
During the late 1800s and early 1900s it was common for individuals to dig coal from private mines on their own property. Many of these old private mines were simply covered over when they were no longer used. These old mines werenot filled in, many were never mapped, and the locations of the shafts have been forgotten over time.
At this time, the city is not sure when the street will reopen to traffic.