City (Chicago): 98-year-old water main cause of sinkhole that swallowed 3 cars
Source: Chicago Tribune
A sinkhole that swallowed three cars on the Southeast Side and injured one person was caused by an old water main that gave out, city Water Department Commissioner Thomas Powers said today.
The water main in the 9600 block of South Houston Avenue dates from around 1915, Powers said during a briefing on the storm at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
"When it broke, it breached the sewer below it," Powers said. "As it undermined, as the water was flowing from the broken main, it undermined all of the soil underneath the pavement and washed it into the sewer."
Witnesses said the hole opened up around 5 a.m. at 9600 South Houston Avenue, quickly growing from about 20 feet to about 40 feet. First two cars slid in, then a third as the hole widened, witnesses said. A fourth vehicle was towed from the edge as it was about to fall inside, witnesses said.
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-sinkhole-swallows-3-cars-20130418,0,4497819.story