Sinkhole stops traffic on East Kildonan street

When Stephanie Lalonde’s neighbours shared photos of a massive sinkhole that had developed overnight steps away from her East Kildonan home, she could barely believe it.

“I honestly thought it was A.I.,” she said Wednesday.

“I thought somebody was pulling a joke, because people can do that, but no — I walked out and it was real.”

City crews quickly arrived at the location on Washington Avenue, between Roch and Watt streets, where a water main break had caused the road to collapse. The street was barricaded and water to nearby homes was turned off.

Lalonde has lived on Washington for three years and is a lifelong Winnipegger who’s seen her fair share of big potholes.

“Potholes are nothing — this is a four-bedroom complex,” she said, laughing. “That’s a whole house right there.”

City of Winnipeg communications co-ordinator Terryn Shiells said the water main break damaged underground infrastructure, including a catch basin. A water tank was placed in the area for residents to use while the road is repaired.

“Sinkholes typically form when soil beneath the road is washed away, often due to a water main break or failure in underground infrastructure,” Shiells said in an email.

“When enough soil is removed, a cavity forms below the surface and eventually collapses. These events are not common and occur far less frequently than typical surface level road issues.”

There’s no indication when the road will reopen.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca