Sinkhole to blame for Route 26 closure

A sinkhole has been confirmed to be the reason behind the closing of a stretch of Route 26.

More than 10 miles of the highway between Ohio and Princeton was abruptly closed Monday for what the Illinois Department of Transportation initially called a “pavement failure.”

According to IDOT, the sinkhole – located about two-and-half miles north of Interstate 80 – was probably caused by a nearby field tile going bad, combined with recent heavy rains.

IDOT said it was hard to say how long the construction would last, but it would most likely take 2 to 3 weeks.