TxDOT combats massive 70-foot sinkhole closing FM 1038 in Texas

A large sinkhole approximately 40 feet wide, 40 feet long, and 70 feet deep has caused the closure of a section of Farm-to-Market Road 1038 between County Roads 485 and 489 in Cottle County, Texas, near Paducah. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is actively working to fill the sinkhole, estimating it will require about 4,000 cubic yards of material, or 400 dump truck loads, including river rock, stone, and dirt. Due to unstable ground conditions, TxDOT has closed the affected road segment and strongly urges the public to obey barricades and avoid the area, emphasizing that driving around barricades is illegal and dangerous. No cause for the sinkhole has been confirmed yet, and there is currently no timeline for repairs or reopening the road. TxDOT continues to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates through its Childress District social media channels. This sinkhole is notable given the rarity of such large collapses in the Rolling Plains region, which is mostly flat grassland and red dirt.