Limited airport operations in Citrus as crews seal nearly 60-foot deep sinkhole

CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — Citrus County and the Florida Department of Transportation have taken major steps to fund sinkhole repairs to fully reopen the Crystal River Airport within the next week.

During a special meeting this week to discuss the sinkhole, Citrus County commissioners approved an FDOT emergency grant to cover the full repair cost estimated at $157,000, which requires FDOT to fund most of the project at 80%. The county would be responsible for the remaining 20%.

As a safety precaution and to allow limited airport operations, Citrus County crews acted immediately and installed a temporary patch surrounding the sinkhole that opened up near the end of the runway once it was discovered last month on Sept. 15, according to Public Works Director Carlton Hall.

“After they did ground penetrating radar, we determined the size is about 15 to 16 feet in diameter, and it’s anywhere from 50 to 60 feet deep, and at the same time, we’ve evaluated it each and every day to make sure we don’t have any additional sinkholes or anything else that opens up in the area,” said Hall.

Citrus County crews started staging the repairs on Friday with a goal to have all the work completed next week.

“They’ll drill injection sites in areas around the sinkhole and then put piping into the ground that allows them to inject concrete to seal up the sinkhole permanently and prevent that anomaly or the sinkhole from coming back in the future,” Hall added.

With more than 20,000 flights a year, on average, licensed pilots and students have traveled to the airport from dozens of countries to focus on a combination of training, flying and aviation studies.

Aviation Project Manager Todd Regan is eager and ready to reopen the full runway following the repairs.

With more than 20,000 flights a year, on average, licensed pilots and students have traveled to the airport from dozens of countries to focus on a combination of training, flying and aviation studies. (Spectrum News/Erica Riggins)

“This airport is essential for pilot training and is a good stopping point for pilots to come in and take a look at what Crystal River has to offer, and in this county it’s also essential for tourism and small businesses,” said Regan, who also oversees the Inverness Airport in Citrus County.

“Luckily, the sinkhole is not in the middle of the runway. We just displaced the end of the runway by 1,000 feet to allow some of the smaller aircraft to keep coming in, but some of our operations — mostly the jets — have been suspended. So, as soon as we get this fixed, we’re back to normal,” Regan continued.