Just a little after 4 p..m. today, city emergency crews received a report of a large sinkhole on the street section just west of the Los Ebanos/Paredes Line Road intersection.
The hole measures about 25 by 20 feet wide, big enough to swallow a small car. Responders did not know whether the weight of a passing vehicle had caused the roadway to collapse or whether motorists had seen the hole as they approached it.
Fire and police department officers said no one was hurt as a result of the collapse and said the roadway will be closed to traffic from both directions.
It was difficult by seeing the briny, brown water that swirled below the broken asphalt, but it was apparent that large sections under the roadway had been eroded by the water for some time before the road surface collapsed. A strong smell of sewage emanated from the hole leading to speculation that main sewage main had broken although a drain ditch is nearby.
The level of erosion visible at street level indicates that a large volume of water her been flowing below the street or some time and may have infiltrated the sewage system. The drainage ditch nearby is at a much lower level than the street surface, making it unlikely that it is the source of the runoff visible from street level.
Motorists are warned to seek alternate means to traverse the area.