[harry8]

How do you accurately visualize whether "hole in the road" means you saying "what was that?" And driving on without slowing. Or whether the hole will require a crane to get your car to a place where it can be towed if you, possibly inadvertently, attempt to drive over it?

[OJFord]

I meant regarding shape.

[replygirl]

holes can be all sorts of shapes

[OJFord]

But rarely like washing machines. (Which can also be all sorts of shapes anyway.)

[brewdad]

Aside from side by side vs stackable, every washing machine I've ever encountered is roughly the same shape. Some edges are rounder and the door might be on the front or the top but the shape is the same.

[OJFord]

The vast majority are approximately cuboid boxes, sure. Ever seen a hole in the road like that?

[buildsjets]

Yes, all the time when I lived in Atlanta. They frequently do road construction where they dig up rectangular underground vaults, then cover them up with giant “temporary” steel plates for years at a time. When the steel plates get dislodged, which they always do because they are not supposed to be permanent repairs, it leaves a gaping rectangular hole. I would estimate that the remaining hole is around the 4-washing machine size. When I was working on my MS at Ga Tech, a friend drove over one at speed, the car made it past but it sheared the oil pan right off the engine. Any Atlanta resident can validate that this is not BS. https://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/why-at...