ATLANTA — Crews wrapped up work on a massive sinkhole in Midtown Atlanta Friday evening and have reopened all lanes.
The sinkhole lived on Ponce de Leon and Penn Avenue, in front of Torched Hop Brewery and near Mary Mac's Tea Room. On Tuesday, it nearly swallowed an SUV as it traveled along the busy roadway.
City of Atlanta crews said the sinkhole likely opened due to a broken sewer line that may have washed away the support for the road. The broken water line was fixed Wednesday and crews were working on filling the sinkhole shortly after.
The repairs caused emergency lane closures with one lane open in both east and westbound directions causing traffic delays through most of the week.
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Photos | Sinkhole opens up in Midtown Atlanta
Oliver Adams is among those who frequent the intersection.
"It's crazy because I usually come this way to work so thankful it wasn't me or any of my coworkers," said Adams.
He is concerned whether the road he drives on every day is in good condition.
"It's been insane. I came to work this morning just seeing this whole street is cut off and you see all these big trucks. I walked up there and seen how massive it was," said Adams.
According to City of Atlanta Department of Transportation officials, the hole was about 18 feet deep and wider than a traffic lane.
They added that crews worked nonstop to make the repairs. First, by removing the water pooling at the bottom and then digging out dirt and temporary bedrock to reach the broken sewer line.
"There's nothing that indicates that this is what you call normal. It is an absolutely abnormal circumstance and there are a number of infrastructure challenges that would have led to this," said Atlanta DOT Commissioner Solomon Caviness.
He added that the city does not believe this sinkhole is a sign of a bigger problem. The department also added that crews are in the process of checking streets to ensure residents' safety.
"We do ratings on our infrastructure. They're about five-year cycles. We're currently in the process of doing pavement index and evaluation of our infrastructure on a more consistent cycle," Caviness added.