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

  • Key expressway route through Hunter Valley
    November 11, 2013
    Australia’s Hunter Valley will benefit from a new high speed expressway, which is currently under construction - Simon Gould reports Located two hours north of Sydney, the Hunter Valley region in New South Wales is one of Australia’s largest producers of coal and wine. With international demand, particularly from Asia, for both continuing to increase, a significant upgrade of infrastructure was required between the region and the port of Newcastle, the world’s largest coal export port. However the strict en
  • GPS machine control speeds dangerous road improvement
    April 11, 2012
    A Canadian contractor has carried out major roadworks to improve safety on a dangerous stretch of road, using technology to complete the work smoothly. Wiltech Developments, located in West Kelowna, British Columbia, has a great deal of experience. In the contracting sector. The firm works in most. of British Columbia and currently owns more than 40 pieces of heavy machinery, with the majority of these units featuring Trimble Grade Control equipment, a move that has improved its operations.
  • Tunnels - an environmentally attractive option?
    February 21, 2012
    While tunnels are often more expensive than bridges, they can offer environmentally attractive options for transport schemes. Tunnels offer environmentally attractive options for a range of transport infrastructure schemes, but in many cases high construction costs may restrict their use.
  • Geosynthetic drainage technology developments
    June 13, 2012
    An innovative solution to providing vital, low-impact surface water control for one of Britain’s largest local authority road schemes is said to have been recently achieved using Hydro International’s (HI) Hydro Vortex Drop Shaft  ow control technology. The new 7km bypass built by Costain at Church Village, near Pontypridd, South Wales, required careful planning to minimise its effect on the countryside and the local environment. Rhondda Cynon Taff Council needed to bypass Church Village to reduce traf c