A Big Sinkhole Opened Up in Williamsburg


This is not Williamsburg. (Not yet anyway.)
Yesterday afternoon, a 6 foot by 4 foot sinkhole opened up on Driggs Avenue, right off Metropolitan, in Williamsburg. The sinkhole’s emergence on the already pothole-filled street was yet another ominous portent of the summer yet to come. Things are not looking so good, you guys. Not at all.
We first found out about the sinkhole via the Nick Rizzo’s Twitter, when the candidate for Democratic District Leader in NY’s 50th AD released a photo of the sinkhole in question, and noted that the area is “officially at road repair epidemic status.” Rizzo has been documenting the deteriorating roads in his district (including this whopper on Flushing Avenue) for some time now, but this is the first, like, legitimate sinkhole that’s been recorded. Other parts of Brooklyn—notably Bay Ridge—have dealt with the errant sinkhole for some time now, but this is a relatively new phenomenon for Williamsburg.
CBS News reports “the Department of Environmental Protection said its crews found a break in an 18-inch sewer main where the sinkhole developed,” but there is no word yet on how or when the sinkhole and sewer main break would be repaired. And, as far as sinkholes go, this one can be viewed as relatively minor since it didn’t cause any injuries or swallow any cars. In other words, we haven’t quite reached Florida status yet, but with the way this summer’s starting out, we’re bound to get there sooner or later.
Follow Kristin Iversen on twitter @kmiversen
We are officially at road repair epidemic status in my district. Massive sinkhole blocks off Driggs and Metropolitan. pic.twitter.com/D4KYORtbfM
— Nick Rizzo (@nickrizzo) June 18, 2014