Sinkhole threatens Marietta home

Metro Atlanta

Sinkhole threatens Marietta home

A sinkhole that doubled in size overnight and threatened to swallow a Marietta house appears to have stabilized, public works director Dan Conn said Tuesday afternoon.

A steady stream of dump trucks ferried a sand-cement mixture from a Kennesaw quarry to the home in the 1100 block of Charlton Trace. Workers at the site estimated it would take 180 truckloads to fill in the hole, which developed earlier this week.

Officials assess the situation. Crews began working Thursday morning to fill in a massive sinkhole that swallowed a large chunk of a front yard in Marietta. The sinkhole forced the homeowner to evacuate and swallowed three trees.

Wayne Marcinko of G.E.M. Contractors uses a backhoe to pack the A-10 manufactured granite in for the base that will be followed by dirt.

Marty Peniger with GEO Hydro engineers (left) speaks with operator, Wayne Marcinko of G.E.M. Contractors as they wait for another truck load of A-10 manufactured granite being used for the base that will be followed by dirt.

The rising foundation of A-10 manufactured granite (foreground) contrasted against the geological texture of the sink hole wall. Crews began working Thursday morning to fill in a massive sinkhole that swallowed a large chunk of a front yard in Marietta.

A large sinkhole appeared overnight Monday in the Charlton Trace neighborhood, off Chestnut Hill Road, in Marietta. The sinkhole has undermined the driveway, and is within 18 feet of the roadway.

Homeowner Lisa Thompson told the city's director of public works, Dan Conn, that she saw the tree fall following Sunday's rain and the ground open up. Conn said Thompson's house appears to have been spared, but a neighbor's residence may have shifted as a result of the hole.

Louis Babler, a geo-technical consultant, was hired by the city of Marietta to examine the sinkhole. He took "sound readings to find the extent of the void." It is believed the massive expanse has stabilized.

Consultant Louis Babler (from left), Marietta's director of public works Dan Conn, and city engineer Jim Wilgus survey the opening, which was first believed to be "an old mine exploration shaft."

City engineer Richard King peeks over the edge of the undermined driveway. Beyond the stability of the house, the city is concerned the sinkhole could reach the street and block access for other residents, officials added.

1/10

A steady stream of dump trucks ferried a sand-cement mixture from a Kennesaw quarry to the home in the 1100 block of Charlton Trace. Workers at the site estimated it would take 180 truckloads to fill in the hole, which developed earlier this week.

Today's Gallery Headlines

aajc 041226 Masters Round 3 Sat

PHOTOS: Masters 2026 Round 3

aajc 041026 Masters Round 1 Thur

Photos: Low-tech tradition reigns at the Masters

Masters practice round Monday

PHOTOS: Golf fashions at the Masters

aajc 041126 Masters Round 2 Friday

PHOTOS: Masters 2026 Round 2

More Galleries

Juwad Maynard holds a banner during a protest in Atlanta on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, against the U.S. military action in Venezuela. (Ben Gray for the AJC)

PHOTOS: People gather in downtown Atlanta to protest U.S. military action in Venezuela

Photos of AJC’s final run

PHOTOS: The final print run of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Buddhist Monks

PHOTOS: Buddhist monks travel through Atlanta on ‘Walk for Peace’

Coca-Cola first ad

PHOTOS: Coca-Cola ads over time