The treads of this backhoe hang precipitously over the lip of the sink hole. There is a 50-foot drop down to the railroad tracks below.

If you have parked in the rear parking lot of the 1762 building in the past few years, you may have noticed an alarmingly growing sinkhole that has been eating away some of the spaces. This sinkhole was the result of erosion towards the railroad tracks that travel between 1762 and the intramural fields.

Areas of the parking lot became dangerous for driving and walking as erosion had undercut the pavement, causing areas to cave in. Two to three parking spots were unfit for parking, and others were soon to become inaccessible.

The good news is that much-needed repairs are underway that will dramatically improve the safety and appearance of the rear parking lot area. Emory contracted with the Contours Landscaping Compant to do the repairs. According to owner Mike Pavlovich, the project will take about three weeks, creating flumes in the catch basin in the corner of the parking lot to divert the water, as well as a drainage curb to drain water through the parking lot and away from the erosion location.

In regards to the sink hole, they will compact and fill it with gravel and dirt, then use erosion control matting to hold the bank in place. They will then seed over the matting to add support.

Contours Landscaping is well-used contractor with Emory, having recently done work on the tennis court seating, the Clairmont Bus route  improvements, the School of Medicine landscaping, Sorority Row landscaping, and a variety of road and grounds improvement work.

Once the project is completed, we will gain back the 2-3 spots for parking, and have striping added for scooter/motorcycle parking, according to Kim Comstock (IT F&A), who first alerted Campus Services about the need for this effort.