Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, July 1, 2011
(UNDATED) - An abandoned underground mine is believed to be the cause of a road collapse on U.S. 40 in Western Indiana.
Bruce Stevens with the Department of Natural Resources says there are many abandoned underground coal mines in that area.
Stevens says there are close to 1,000 abandoned mines that were abandoned before the performance standards in place today to prevent incidents such as this.
He says INDOT is investigating the issue now and will make a determination in how to fix the problem.
Stevens adds there is a way to check if your home or land is on top of an abandoned underground mine.
It's called the Coal Mine Information System and can be found at the web sites for the DNR or the Indiana Geological Survey.
He says many actual mine maps are available for viewing.
Stevens says they recommend people with homes near abandoned underground mines to get mine subsidence insurance to help protect themselves in case they have an incident like the one on U.S. 40.
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