Large sinkhole opens up in gas station parking lot

ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A large sinkhole opened up in the parking lot of a gas station in Rostraver Township.

The sinkhole outside the Sunoco gas station on Route 51 dates back to 2011, township officials said. It started out small, but it continues to grow.

PHOTOS: Sinkhole in Belle Vernon gas station parking lot

Caution tape and cones now surround the hole, which is large enough to fit several cars and can be seen from the road.

There hasn’t been a fix because the hole sits along two private properties, and the landowners are debating over who should be responsible for repairs. Township officials said they are acting as mediators to determine a solution.

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Here’s a better photo in the daylight of the sinkhole off 51 in Rostraver. Working to determine who actually is responsible for the full scale fix. Stay with @WPXI. pic.twitter.com/aUeD3qvACi
— Mike Holden (@WPXIMikeHolden) March 6, 2019

Despite the sinkhole, the gas station has remained open. PennDOT officials said the sinkhole is not threatening Route 51.

However, people who drive past the hole every day are concerned.

“Where is it gonna stop?” Dan Brandt, who works nearby, said. “You could be pumping the gas, and how much of that parking lot is gonna get taken out?”

Township officials believe the sinkhole is caused by a failed storm water pipe.

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