Neighbors worried about growing sinkhole in DeKalb County neighborhood

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - Some neighbors in DeKalb County are frustrated over a large sinkhole that has plagued their neighborhood for weeks, despite county officials saying they are working to fix the problem.

The sinkhole is at the intersection of Battle Forrest Drive and Shiloh Drive, but as of this report, the street sign was in the hole. The cones county workers put out to warn people to stay away were also submerged.

Tiffany W. lives off Battle Forrest Drive, near the intersection. She says the hole has continued to get larger.

"This area here is the biggest problem, I don't want to get you too close to it because it has opened up to be this gaping hole," she told FOX 5.

Neighbors in the area say the sinkhole opened about five weeks ago after a heavy rainstorm. At the same time, another hole opened near a nearby driveway on Shiloh Drive. The person who rents that home says that hole swallowed her mailbox. She had to fish it out of the hole and move it farther away.

"We have cones there. But as you can see, the cones have fallen into the hole as well," Tiffany said.

DeKalb County confirmed that their roads and drainage department started work on a broken concrete slab at the end of February, but then, after the hole opened up in early March, they requested the Department of Watershed Management to inspect it.

Since then, Tiffany says the hole has grown.

This is a photo of the sinkhole from March 6, 2024 when it was first noticed by residents.

Photo of the same sinkhole taken on April 12, 2024 that shows the increase in size.

"My concern is it's not going to be fixed or become a priority for the county until someone child falls in, a pet falls in, someone's home, is swallowed up or someone's just driving through and doesn't realize this is here, and their vehicle goes down into a sinkhole," Tiffany said.

Despite her concerns, DeKalb County says they are working to get it fixed. Officials tell FOX 5 that three days ago they had a roads and drainage engineer conduct an emergency inspection, and on the day of this report, they received a $350,000 estimate from a contractor. 

They say they are working to schedule repairs as soon as possible.