Eastbound traffic remains closed on St. Clair Avenue between W. 6th and W. 3rd Streets after a sinkhole emerged in downtown Cleveland during a blazing hot Wednesday afternoon.
Work crews with the Cleveland Water Division and Water Pollution Control, which maintains the city’s sewers and storm water management systems, were on site Thursday morning assessing the damage and enlarging the hole for the purposes of repair.
City of Cleveland spokeswoman Sarah Johnson told Scene that Cleveland Water has jurisdiction at the site due to a nearby leaking waterline. “There is also a compromised First Energy Duct Bank which is being inspected to see if it is still active or can be abandoned due to its age,” she said.
Based on estimates furnished by the Division of Water, work may be completed over the weekend but could extend to the middle of next week, depending on the nature and extent of the required repairs.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, sinkholes form when the ground below surface level gradually dissolves, usually due to water circulation. Recent research in Florida has shown a correlation between the climate crisis and sinkholes as well, leading researchers to predict that as the planet continues to warm, the prevalence of sinkholes will increase, in tandem with the frequency and intensity of other natural geohazards like landslides and earthquakes.
Here she is up close:
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This article appears in Jun 15-28, 2022.
