Skip to main content

VIDEO: A sinking feeling in Florence

Be careful where you park your car in Florence, Italy. Might be best to not leave your vehicle next to the River Arno. In this case, 20 drivers returned to their cars only to find them sitting in a 6.5m deep sinkhole next to the river. The ‘hole’ appeared after what media reports said was a water main burst that flooded the road’s substructure, dropping nearly 200m of pavement into rushing water from the ruptured pipe. Vehicles remained out of the river, thanks to a brick wall. Nobody was injured in the
May 27, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Be careful where you park your car in Florence, Italy. Might be best to not leave your vehicle next to the River Arno.

In this case, 20 drivers returned to their cars only to find them sitting in a 6.5m deep sinkhole next to the river.

The ‘hole’ appeared after what media reports said was a water main burst that flooded the road’s substructure, dropping nearly 200m of pavement into rushing water from the ruptured pipe. Vehicles remained out of the river, thanks to a brick wall.

Nobody was injured in the collapse and emergency crews quickly began the cleanup of the area that leads up to the city’s iconic Ponte Vecchio. Tourists were quick to capitalise on the sight by taking ‘selfies’ with the sunken parking area in the background.

Related Content

  • Building Norway's longest suspension bridge
    March 2, 2012
    AT 1.38KM LONG, the new €213 million Hardanger Bridge crossing Hardangerfjord, Norway's second largest fjord, will be the country's longest suspension bridge. The structure, designed by Norway's Forum Arkitekter, will be a new landmark with its 200m high concrete towers and steel construction.
  • Road Markings to reduce fatal wrong-way driving
    October 31, 2012
    The latest road marking systems have been used to reduce potentially fatal wrong-way driving and promote the recent EURO 2012 football tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Guy Woodford reports According to statistics quoted by leading road marking firm Geveko, a total of 1,753 people were killed in the United States in wrong-way driving accidents from1996-2000. Wrong-way driving is also a significant issue across Europe and other parts of the world. Work to combat the potentially lethal activity took place re
  • Egypt’s road programme is now restarting
    February 20, 2014
    Egypt is developing its road network – local reporting and images by Egypt correspondent Mohammed Elsayed Tantawy. Egypt is now gearing up its road construction activity, with a view to reducing congestion and improving traffic flow. The country’s main highway connecting capital Cairo with the port city of Alexandria has already seen a major widening programme, but other important routes are also now being upgraded and improved. The road development programme started in earnest some years ago but was delaye
  • SDLG wheeled loaders for Moscow’s new roads and buildings
    March 28, 2014
    Two factories in Russia’s greater Moscow region are using SDLG wheeled loaders to help distribute sand and gravel for use in new roads being built across the region With Russia one of the world’s fastest growing market economies, its need for infrastructure expansion has meant more roads and, as a result, a massive increased need for sand and gravel production. Two sand and gravel factories near Moscow are said to be helping produce the new roads, sidewalks, and also, buildings.