Rockwoods Reservation’s main entrance off Highway 109 re-opens

THIS CONTENT IS ARCHIVED
News from the region
Saint Louis
Published Date
07/19/2018
Body

WILDWOOD, Mo.—The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has reopened the main entrance to Rockwoods Reservation off Highway 109.  The entrance was closed last week because a sinkhole opened in the middle of Glencoe Road 100 yards beyond the entrance gate.  MDC work crews completed repairs to make the road safe to drive again. 

Staff from MDC’s Design and Development Division excavated the opening left by the sinkhole, which caused a portion of the road to collapse.  Work crews filled in the hole with gravel soil, and four-inch rock, and compacted it to create a drivable surface.  Staff will allow time for the fill to fully settle and compact, after which they plan to repave the section with concrete.

Sinkholes can occur in areas of karst topography, like Rockwoods Reservation, when percolating ground water gradually dissolves bedrock, eventually weakening the surface enough to cause a structural collapse.  Karst topography can typically be found in areas where soluble rock such as limestone is prevalent and is characterized by an underground water system that includes springs and caves. 

With the reopening of the main Glencoe Road entrance off Highway 109, the entrance from north Manchester Road entrance is now closed.

Rockwoods Reservation is located at 2751 Glencoe Road, off Highway 109 between I-44 and Highway 100.  For a map of and more information about the area, which is Missouri’s oldest conservation area, go to https://tinyurl.com/y8hkstcy.