Work finally underway to fix sinkhole in Philadelphia's Point Breeze neighborhood
Work is finally underway to fix a sinkhole that's been plaguing a street in Philadelphia's Point Breeze neighborhood for more than a month.
The Philadelphia Water Department came out Tuesday morning to inspect the sinkhole on Sigel Street near South 20th Street.
The sinkhole isn't just an eyesore blocking the road. It's also affecting the residents' sewer system.
Point Breeze homeowner Paul McGannon, who just moved from Miami, said his basement flooded twice since the sinkhole opened up in front of his home.
"Our whole neighborhood, our whole block is really frustrated because the city is not coming out to take the next steps they need to take to fix the sinkhole," McGannon said on Monday.
Officials explained that the sinkhole was reported on April 27 after a six-inch water main broke. While the broken pipe was fixed within a day, the hole was left in the ground because a work order was never created to come back.
"Unfortunately, there was some miscommunication and the sewer inspection never got done, so the site, although it was covered, it was not repaired," Brian Rademaekers, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Water Department, said.
The water department was supposed to do a sewer inspection so the streets department could fill the hole.
"We apologize to the block for that delay," Rademaekers said.
Now that repairs are back on track, the city is hoping the road will be reopened within a week.
"CBS News Philadelphia came out and right before you guys showed up, the crews were here, so it was obvious to us that there had been calls made," McGannon said. "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."
