Ohio paid $20 million to fill a mine under SR 2

State Route 2 in Ottawa County runs over old gypsum mines. U.S. Gypsum's Lower Mine closed in 1977, and the state took the land above the mines in 1965 for the highway. In 2013, water dissolving the gypsum began opening depressions and sinkholes, and from 2013 to 2015 ODOT paid $20.7 million to fill the tunnels with grout. In January 2025, Ohio's attorney general sued U.S. Gypsum for $16.77 million, saying the company backed out of maintaining the mine and did not tell ODOT. USG says safety is its top priority and that it inspects its closed mines. The lawsuit's claims have not been decided. The orange shapes are ODNR's mapped outlines of the old mines.

Did you ever notice the work on SR 2 in 2013-2015?

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Sources:
- ODOT paid Beaver Excavating $20,668,621.89 (2013-2015) to fill the mine with grout (Wikipedia, Gypsum, Ohio, citing The Blade)
- Ohio Attorney General lawsuit, Jan. 2025, $16,770,000; ODOT got the land in 1965; USG response (Cleveland 19, Jan. 14, 2025; 13abc)
- Mine outlines and closing years: ODNR abandoned underground mine maps; outlines are mapped extents, not a measure of risk