Overnight, a water main break underground at the intersection of 6th Avenue and Lake Street caused a large sinkhole to open up.
We first learned of the hole around 7:30am this morning, and when we arrived at the scene at 8:30am, firefighters and police were on the scene. The intersection, as well as the blocks of Lake Street and 6th Avenue leading up to it were closed to traffic.
Workers were attempting to shut off the water line, which could be heard gushing water. A gas line is also located near the water main break.
This is a big sinkhole, but not quite as large as the one that opened up at 2nd Avenue and Lake in May 2013.
Expect the intersection to be closed off for much of today while repairs are put in place.
Sarah B.
UPDATE 11:24am: Now that crews have punched through the sinkhole, it’s gotten quite large:
Photo by Joe K.
SFPD blocking off 6th Avenue to car traffic (at California)
Too bad Nourish isn’t open – look at all that lost opportunity standing around supervising the sinkhole!
Water is off in the neighborhood. No nourish without water.
This is the second sink hole that has opened up on Lake since I have lived here. Last one was at ~ 2nd and Lake.
Water or no I’m with Susan; we want Nourish, we want Nourish,… 🙂
Melissa, hope you’re not at 4th and Lake – since that’s the average, who knows, maybe that’s in line for the next sinkhole…
Whoa, this is nuts!
There was a small hole on Clement and 12th last week, I think it’s been fixed but not sure.
Hope they can do repairs quickly and safely.
Awkward….
This very sinkhole was seen in a segment detailing the heavy rains San Francisco has been receiving during the 5:30PM broadcast of the local news on KHNL here in Honolulu!
Well why aren’t they using that bond money that majority stupidly voted for a few elections back to fix this before the hole started? 2 holes within 2 years is unacceptable. Eric Mar, why aren’t you pushing for the betterment of the Richmond District?
Sewer problem is cause. Same reason why we had a giant sinkhole on our block 15 years ago. Storm drain was not connected to sewer and was flowing underneath it. Should be “repaired” by Monday. I expect there’s lots more out this way.
@sfresident, the Bond was to pave streets, not to address what is undermining them.
@Rachel – Yes, that sinkhole started sinking again at 12th & Clement yesterday. A crew was there this morning dealing with it.
Sarah B.
Thanks for the update, Sarah! Oy, sinkholes (said while rolling my eyes…)
So where does all the sand that was underneath the pavement go? Does all the water just sink down through the layers of sand? Isn’t there likely to be more open areas under the pavement, nearby sidewalks, or houses where the water/sand flowed?
Richmond Resident, When this area was developed over a century ago nothing was done to compact the sand under homes and roads. It shifts in rain and quakes and there are many large pockets under the 100+ year old sewer lines, particularly where there are failed of never properly installed connectors.
Sidewalks were generally only in business districts with residences having a path from the front door to street and two paved tracks at tire width into garage. Sidewalks became universal after WWII. It has only been where the streetcar tracks existed that compacting and leveling were done at greater than the absolute minimum. In recent years SFDPW has been laying gravel under new sewers. Stomp around on some sidewalk to listen for the big air gaps.
Thanks for the interesting history 4thGenRichmond; re. those big air gaps, I don’t suppose SFPDW or anyone else has catalogued those…
Karl, They get cataloged when someone parks on a sidewalk and the cement cracks and sinks via red spray paint dot and City Hall Notice notice to repair or when sinkholes happen in the street.
It took about three years of a neighbor (engineer by profession) calling DPW regularly about growing dip on our block (eventually almost 40 feet long) before City Hall bothered to actually do a proper inspection. Their discovery was that neighbor between us never had their sewer properly connected to the main sewer in the middle of the street for 40+ years and DBI had approved inspection of the install.