Click on any photo to see full gallery
Folsom Street is closed between Colorado Avenue and Taft Drive after a water main break caused a sinkhole in the road, and officials said the street likely will remain closed for the rest of the day.
The break -- which occurred around 3:30 a.m. today on Folsom near Stadium Drive -- created a sinkhole about 15 feet by 30 feet and cracked the street and sidewalk all the way down to Taft Drive.
Mike Banuelos with the city of Boulder said a 16-inch water main broke due to pipe erosion. He said crews would likely need the rest of the day to repair the road, and the closure could possibly last into the nighttime hours.
"We're currently assessing the situation, getting parts ordered and scheduling crews," Banuelos said. Banuelos
added the buildings on Folsom between Taft Drive and Colorado Avenue are currently without water, but that the University of Colorado was not affected.
Banuelos said it is the second time a water main break has occurred at this location, with the first break coming about a year ago. Banuelos said crews repaired the break and put in new piping. He said it was unlikely this incident was related to the previous main break.
Mike Keuter, who works at CU, said he was trying to get to work when he noticed the washout from the break, which swept down the street all the way around the corner on Taft, even burying one SUV's front-right tire.
"I've never seen (a sinkhole) this big, not in the middle of a city," Keuter said.
Matt Hallowell and Gregor Henze heard about the sinkhole on the radio, and changed up their morning jog to make sure they could catch a glimpse of it.
"We deviated a little from our route to check it out," Hallowell said.
Added Henze, "We figured we would check out the first-class entertainment Folsom is offering. I've never seen anything like this." ___
(c)2013 the Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.)
Visit the Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.) at www.dailycamera.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Related
Before You Go
