By Olyver LaGabed, Staff Writer
If you, dear reader, are a student at Pellissippi State Community College, then you may understand the nightmare traffic can be getting in and out of the Hardin Valley campus. I’m sure when you’re late to class, nine times out of ten it’s because of the traffic. All of that to say, despite students and faculty being well-versed in the trials and tribulations of college traffic, it came as a shock to every driver on campus to learn about Pellissippi State’s recent run-in with a sinkhole.
According to Mark Hurst, Pellissippi State’s Vice President of Administrative Affairs, students and faculty noticed a small dip near the school’s main entrance in early 2026. For a short time, the school placed a warning sign near the entrance to let students know there was a drop in the road. However, the sign became a temporary fix when further monitoring revealed the hole was growing.
After discovering the naturally occurring speed bump, Dr. Hurst said the Hardin Valley administrative team immediately contacted a vendor to fill it with asphalt and level the road. I know what you’re thinking: well, that solves it, doesn’t it? Well, if that were the case, this article wouldn’t be nearly as long as it is.
Shortly after the asphalt was laid, the dip came back, and it was angry. As Dr. Hurst explains in an email giving a rundown of the situation, “Maybe a month later, the dip had returned, and so at that point we knew there was something more substantial wrong with the entrance.”
And substantial was correct – after the dip’s big return, administration had a structural engineer come by to investigate the scene. They found a pipe beneath the road had reached the end of its life; its decay caused the road above it to sink. This discovery officially earned the dip its title as a sinkhole. Upon receiving the report, Pellissippi State (understandably) had an oh-no realization and immediately called for an emergency fix of the surrounding area through the Tennessee Board of Regents.
The request was approved toward the end of the 2026 spring semester, and the sinkhole was fixed promptly thanks to the college’s use of the same general contractor already on campus to renovate the Lamar Alexander building. Luckily, the dip has not returned for round three… yet.
All jokes aside, the situation could’ve been much worse if not for Pellissippi State’s speedy response. Students and faculty alike barely noticed the dip was gone, the entire renovation conveniently happening over spring and summer break.
For students with concerns surrounding how the sinkhole occurred, wondering: Is that pipe the only pipe on campus that needs a replacement? How is the structural health of the campus? How are students supposed to know if roads are shut down before their classes? Rest assured, there are ways to keep up to date with such business.
Pellissippi State has an alert system; students are automatically signed up. It can be super useful for learning about specific events like the sinkhole and staying up to date on other campus incidents, like lockdowns and fire drills. Be sure to check your messages regularly for campus updates. If you for any reason aren’t able to access these materials, your support system through the Success Centers on campus is always an email or a question away!
Thankfully, since the sinkhole has been fixed, traveling through the Hardin Valley campus has been somewhat smoother – and I’m only saying somewhat because, sinkhole or not, some drivers on campus seriously need to retest. Thanks to the quick action of our administrative team here at Pellissippi State, this sinkhole was just a small bump (or, in this case, dip) in the road beginning this fall semester.
