14th Street sinkhole likely manmade

Work crews except to have the sinkhole located at the intersection of 14th street and F Street to be fixed by Friday. The cause of the roadway collapse appears to be manmade.

Currently the northbound lanes of 14th Street are closed and F Street is closed in both directions between 13th and 15th Street. The cost of the repairs will be close to $2 million once all work is finished.

The sinkhole opened last Tuesday, damaging a 54-inch, brick sewer line designed in the late 1800s. Workers also had to cut through trolley tracks to reach the sewer, which now requires a new steel liner.

George Hawkins, General Manager for the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority, says the sinkhole appears to have been years in the making.