Sinkhole reroutes traffic at PeaceHealth hospital

A sinkhole forced traffic to take a detour around the main entrance to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center on Wednesday.

The entrance on Mother Joseph Place and East Mill Plain Boulevard was closed Tuesday night when the sinkhole was discovered after someone drove into it, said Ken Cole, medical center spokesman. The entrance was reopened for traffic at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, hospital officials said.

Crews from Dan Tapani Excavating started repairs Wednesday morning.

“It was hard to know how big it was” at first, said Andy Tapani, youngest brother in the Tapani family.

The hole, which ended up being about one foot deep by two feet wide was filled midday Wednesday, said Tapani worker Bob Sheadel.

PeaceHealth notified police and first responders in the area of the closure. Hospital spokesman Cole said emergency workers are familiar with the detour because the entrance sometimes is closed during major rainstorms.

Sidewalks remained open to pedestrians during repairs.

The hospital is paying for repairs because the damage is on PeaceHealth property, Cole said.