Massive Sinkhole In San Francisco's Richmond District Becomes Its Own 'Attraction'
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Utility crews are still hard at work on a 35-foot sinkhole at Sixth Avenue and Lake Street that opened up in San Francisco's Richmond District during Wednesday's rain storm.
It was a cracked storm drain pipe that caused the massive sinkhole to grow to its current size.
"The conditions were right with really heavy rains, with the storm drain piping broken, just forcing all of that water and eroding the soil underneath the roadway," said Tyrone Jue, spokesman for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. "It caused the street to buckle under its own weight."
Massive Sinkhole In San Francisco's Richmond District Becomes Its Own 'Attraction'
Gas, water and sewer services have been rerouted and restored to all of the neighbors in the area, though there is still plenty of work for crews to complete. That work is expected to last through the weekend and most likely into next week.
An interesting aside – the sinkhole has become a local attraction of sorts. Colt Deese is a sixth grade teacher at Presidio Hill School, and brought his science class on a field trip to the sinkhole. "Earlier this year, we were studying watersheds, the impact, and how they affect our lives," said Deese. "We have a few students who live in the neighborhood so we heard about this and came down to see what's going on."
"It's scary but I don't try to think about it. I live two blocks away and don't live super-close. My water is still working and everything is normal," said one of the sixth graders in his class that lives nearby.
Many others have stopped by to snap a picture. One mother who lives a few blocks away said she brought her sons "because they watch construction videos on YouTube."
Onlookers will have a few more days, as PUC officials said the road is not expected to be paved over and driveable again until late next Tuesday at the earliest.
