Huge sinkhole opens in college football stadium

A sinkhole has opened beneath a college football stadium. And WSMV photographer notes that it's massive.

The hole, located in Austin Peay State University's Governors Stadium, reportedly started out small -- a 3-by-5-foot gap.

Then, ABC reports, "Workers had to make it bigger, extending it to 40-by-40 feet as they search for stable bedrock."

WTVF reports crews discovered the hole in the end zone about a month ago.

"We're not going to skip any steps. That's the reason I brought the engineers back out -- because it's not going the way we thought it was going to."

That said, the university claims sinkholes are expected and that construction to replace the main stadium building is still on track.

WSMV reports, "Austin P campus sits on land called 'karst.' That means the campus has a limestone base underneath it. Limestone is porous and disintegrates from rain over the centuries, which is what creates sinkholes.

The project's superintendent told The Leaf Chronicle, "We actually put a line item in the budget for sinkhole remediation." And even a pit this size "shouldn't affect the budget or schedule."

The crew plans to patch up a few smaller sinkholes in the parking lot as well. No injuries have been reported.