CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A section of a busy Uptown street is shut down because of a large hole that has formed.
The Charlotte Department of Transportation reported the closure around 10:30 a.m., with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department later confirming the closure was due to a sinkhole. The hole formed at the intersection of West Morehead Street near South Cedar Street, not far from Bank of America Stadium and near a handful of businesses.
Charlotte Water says a water main break is to blame for the hole which rerouted traffic and disrupted water service to homes nearby.
"We lost water pressure for the morning. So, we haven’t showered yet," Elliot Wilks, who lives in the area, said. "That’s a pretty big hole and I don’t know if that happened last night or this morning, but that’s pretty scary if you were going to drive over that, you know?”
Crews spent hours repairing the hole and a large stormwater pipe to get water back up and running after the ground sank.
It's an issue not uncommon in major cities, according to Daniel Doctor, a research geologist unconnected to the project with the U.S. Geological Survey.
"In this case, it seems like the culprit might be the failing infrastructure under the road, a pipe or a sewer line or some sort of water conveyance," Doctor said. "In terms of being concerned, usually these types of failures of the infrastructure occur more commonly after heavy rainstorm events that tend to stress or add water pressure to the pipes or they just age and they leak. So, I don't think it's any more alarming than a pothole.”
Charlotte Water said water was restored to the block at 9 p.m. Tuesday. The road will remain closed until further notice.
CMPD said the closure would be in place for an extended period of time, although an exact timeline wasn't provided. Drivers are advised to seek alternate routes if the area is part of their afternoon or evening commute.
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