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Sinkhole in front of St. Joseph's Hospital shuts down traffic on MLK Blvd.

 
Published Aug. 5, 2015

TAMPA — A sinkhole opened in front of St. Joseph's hospital Tuesday night, shutting down some lanes of traffic on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, according to Tampa Police.

The depression formed around 7:30 p.m., police said, causing authorities to detour traffic to MacDill Avenue.

No one was hurt, police said, although one driver drove into the sinkhole, damaging both front tires. Hospital entrances remained open and unaffected.

County inspectors and the Florida Department of Transportation were on scene, studying the hole to determine the cause of the collapse, police said.

Although the collapse originally shut down all eastbound MLK traffic, FDOT crews worked to open the outside lanes in both directions, police said. That arrangement was expected to stay in place overnight until the crews made the necessary repairs.