This afternoon around 5:30pm, a large sinkhole opened up at the intersection of Lake and 2nd Avenue. Neighbors reported that a car drove over the area and shortly after, the ground began sinking in on itself.
We stopped by the sinkhole at 6:45pm tonight, and helicopters from two news channels were still circling overheard.
A DPW crew was there inspecting the hole, and the entire intersection was closed off with police caution tape. No repairs were being made yet.
Several streets were closed off from traffic leading into the intersection, including the first and third blocks of Lake Street, and 2nd Avenue between California and Lake.
The surface of the sinkhole looked like it had been covered with fresh asphalt recently, and a neighbor on scene confirmed that the area had been patched in recent weeks.
She drove over the intersection earlier in the day with her husband, and remarked that the ground was uneven and appeared to be sinking.
It’s unclear what caused the sinkhole, but typically it’s due to a break in a sewer or water line that then erodes the surface under the street. When we visited the scene, there was no sign of water and no smell of sewage, but there was definitely an absence of foundation under the street.
UPDATE: KTVU, who was manning one of the choppers over the scene, reports, “It is believed that the sinkhole was caused by an old 21-inch sewer line failure.”
There were several gawkers at the intersection, mostly neighbors who lived close by and wondered why helicopters were circling overhead. Guess it’s a slow news day.
Try to avoid the area for tonight and probably tomorrow, as crews will be assessing and repairing the sinkhole which is pretty large.
Thanks to reader Stacy L. for the tip.
UPDATE 5/8/13: SFAppeal reports that it could take as long as 2 weeks to repair the sinkhole, which was caused by the rupture of a 19-inch brick sewer line.
Sarah B.
Photo by Stacy L.
nice to what all the helicopters were buzzing around for…
I drove past this area this morning about 8:50 and noted that there was some fresh blacktop there as well and the surface was certainly uneven right around the manhole cover. This is pretty amazing.
Maybe now would be a good time to implement the traffic circle! Actually, I hope the traffic circles along lake never come to fruition.
there is a much smaller one overnight on 19th between Balboa and Anza…also right near where they have been doing a ton of work and re pavement
Could the fairy who lived in the tree in Golden Gate Park and lost the door to his “house” have gone on a rampage?
@Richmond Resident
Makes me think of that scene in the movie “Elf” where Will Ferrel says, “He’s an *angry* elf…”
Anyhow back on topic, YIKES!!! Makes me look at the roadwork that’d just been completed on Anza between Arguello and about 3rd Ave. with some trepidation.
Wow, Mel (I’m a different mel), This is kinda scary since they have torn up Balboa between 19th and 22nd a few times in the past 3 months. Makes you want to tread lightly.
Aha! I wondered what the helicopters were for!
From my perspective, the only entity that has gone on a rampage is SYNERGY.
Does anyone know which streets are still closed off ? I have to park in that area this evening for a rehearsal at St. John’s, so trying to figure out some alternatives. Thanks!
@Cheryl – The intersection itself is still closed off, but the streets leading up to it are not (though there is likely some traffic control discouraging cars from entering the adjoining blocks. I would plan to park on Arguello, California or Sacramento St tonight.
Sarah B.
Thanks!
Nothing to see here folks, it’s just another case of deferred maintenance on the part of City Hall. For three decades our tax dollars have been going to Health and Social Services while all City departments supporting basic infrastructure have had their budgets gutted. Gullible voters accepted the idea of going into 30 years of debt to only partially remedy this deferral and for a product whose lifespan is less than one third of the debt’s lifespan. The quality of paving done by the diversity contractor is so inferior to what was done before Loma Prieta (different contractor).
As to Balboa Street, according to the flyer mailed to me last September, the sewer locations are 20th-21st Aves, 25-26 Aves, 29th-30th Aves, and 31st-32nd Aves. Apparently there are no plans to pave Balboa between 42nd and 45th Aves, 34th and 39th Aves, and 26th-28th Aves. More information available at onesanfrancisco.org (according to the DPW flyer).
Considering that the Golden Gate Bridge presently has southbound lanes closed due to poor quality asphalt work, I wonder if the same contractor or material supplier has been used. I found it very odd this contractor covers manholes with asphalt and comes back days later to uncover them. Their idea of level would never pass any of the mathematics or mechanical drawing classes I had back in high school.
@4thGenRichmond – Balboa btwn 26th-28th Aves. was repaved in the last 2 years, FYI.
The Chron put up an article about half and hour ago. Apparently, it was an ancient sewer line that burst. However, I am curious since it appeared recent work was done in the area, did workers not take a wee peek at the 100-year-old line and see if it needed some rehab?
Forgot the link: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Sewer-line-burst-causes-sinkhole-in-S-F-4495810.php
@Ben, Thanks for the update, I was merely copying what was on the DPW flyer without any recall as to which blocks might have already been done before this project; as a non-driver/non-bicyclist it’s all bumpy on Muni.
Balboa St. between 34th and 39th is part of the Balboa Streetscape Improvement area. Does that not include repavement? Some info at http://sfdpw.org/index.aspx?page=1162
About the quality of the asphalt work: I can’t believe how bad the quality of the road surface on new Doyle Drive. Only a month after the tunnel was opened it already felt like a third-world road.
BTW, does anybody know why the eastbound connector from Park Presidio to Doyle Drive is still closed? I know that according to the plan it is supposed to be opened later, but everything seems to be ready for almost a year now.
Mel, the original sewers out here were not “sewer lines,” they are brick tunnels. Some streets had clay tubes slid into the tunnels before the tax revenue shifted over to Health and Social Services. My block did and they connected my neighbor’s sewer line about an inch below the connection to the “new” main. We eventually had a sink hole after a decade of the curb tilting into the street, which the City inspected several times and claimed they saw nothing wrong and dumped asphalt into the primary pit. Finally, the neighbor three houses (an engineer) down caused enough ruckus with DPW to have them finally fix it. We had some real excitement when someone drove into the 30′ x 18′ hole, ignoring the signs, cones, backhoes, and city inspector’s pickup parked directly behind the hole. Shame they aren’t using that contractor as they did great work and were not comprised of the Anglo-Irish-Scots that had the previous contracts which also did excellent work.
I predict a similar sinkhole problem on the block of 14th Avenue between Clement and California. There are three large divots in the road that eventually crack through to a large cavern underneath. The DPW comes by when the neighbors call because it is so hazardous and drop more asphalt in the hole and drive away. Clearly something underneath is collapsing but the City won’t do anything about it.