A large sinkhole that opened this morning in San Francisco’s Lake Street neighborhood will likely not be fully patched up until Thursday, a San Francisco Public Utilities Commission spokeswoman said.
SFPUC crews responded to a report of a sinkhole at Sixth Avenue and Lake Street at 9:17 a.m. this morning.
SFPUC spokeswoman Jean Walsh said sand had eroded around a water main pipe at the intersection, leaving the pipe exposed. At some point this morning, the pipe collapsed, causing more sand and rocks to erode.
“The whole roadway gets undermined and that weakens the area,” Walsh said.
A storm drain also collapsed at that location, but Walsh said crews cannot work on the sewer and water pipes at the same time. SFPUC crews will first try to choke off the water main to minimize the number of impacted residents without water, repair the pipe and pack sand around it, she said.
Walsh said residences located within two blocks of the area are without water as crews work to repair the water main, which could take several hours.
Crews will work on the ruptured storm drain tonight and will likely work on road reconstruction on Thursday, Walsh said.
The 20-by-30-foot hole was growing when crews first got on scene but Walsh said it has since stabilized.
Erin Baldassari, Bay City News
