Gargantuan Sinkhole in Japan Gets Repaired in Record Time, Shows Up Again

The hole spanned the entire width of the five-lane street and despite its impressive size, no casualties were reported. That's because the authorities had been warned about the danger and stopped traffic on that portion of the street in advance.

Even so, the sheer size of the sinkhole was enough to give it plenty of air time, so the world found out about what happened in Fukuoka. Not exactly the type to take criticism and failure lightly, the city's mayor, Soichiro Takashima, ordered the street to be repaired as quickly as possible, and despite the huge chasm, it only took workers two days to make it as good as new.

The street remained closed for a full week for all the tests to be carried out, but this commendable achievement meant that Fukuoka was once again in the news, this time for much more flattering reasons.

Well, given today's technology, materials, and know-how, you would expect such simple tasks as filling a hole and pouring some asphalt on top to pose very little difficulty. The time it took the Japanese crews to complete the job remains impressive, but the outcome should be the same.

Well, last Saturday, the road apparently started sinking again, and not by a few millimeters, but a full seven centimeters (2.7 inches). The traffic was closed once again, and specialists were called to inspect the situation.

The mayor later took to Facebook to express his regrets for not informing the citizens that there was still the possibility of the street sinking slightly again as the sand and cement used for filling the hole settled into position. The traffic has since been reopened and it looks like the time in the news of this particular Fukuoka street is over. Or is it?