EVERETT, Wash. — Northbound State Route 529 in Everett reopened Tuesday afternoon near East Marine View Drive after a hole formed from "an individual tunneling underneath," according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
WSDOT first announced the northbound lanes of SR 529 at East Marine View Drive were fully closed for emergency maintenance just before 9 a.m. Tuesday. It reopened just before 3 p.m.
A description on one of the images posted on X by WSDOT says the hole was approximately 12 by 12 inches.
A WSDOT spokesperson told KING 5 a hole three feet wide and four feet deep was found below the surface of the roadway. They said there was debris that indicated a person had been in the hole.
Crews removed the damaged asphalt and cleaned the void. They backfilled with gravel and resurfaced the asphalt.
Washington State Patrol is investigating the damage.
"That weakened the support of the road and ultimately caused the hole to form," said WSDOT spokesperson James Poling.
"If we didn't shut down the road and someone was inside that tunnel, they had car wheels potentially crushing down on them, depending on the stability of the hole. That's very unsafe and could be deadly," Poling said.
A spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol told KING 5 it is in the very early stages of the investigation, and there's no information about who is responsible for digging the tunnel.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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