Crews Digging Out Large Sinkhole, Streets Remain Closed

Crews this morning are digging out a large sinkhole in a major Union City intersection and are trying to determine what caused the roughly 10- by 12-foot pit to open on Wednesday afternoon, city officials said. Police warned people to stay away from the intersection of Alvarado Boulevard and New Haven Street just before 2 p.m. after the hole was spotted by a passerby.

The intersection remains closed this morning as work crews dig out the street using an excavator. It apparently filled with water overnight -- photos and video from the intersection showed a small pond in the center of the intersection. The Alameda County Water District shut off an underground main there, but it remains unclear if the main had broken, causing the hole to fill with water.

PG&E also shut down underground gas lines overnight. Alvarado Boulevard is closed between Fair Ranch Road and New Haven Street, but firefighters can still access Alameda County Fire Station 32 at that intersection, though they can only make right turns onto Alvarado.

Firefighters at that station were the first to respond when someone knocked on their door and alerted them to the gaping hole. The traffic disruptions have also complicated matters for parents picking up and dropping off students at nearby Alvarado Middle School. The school’s parking lot is closed and parents are being asked to use Fredi Street for drop-offs and pickups, school officials said.

By Bay City News

Photo courtesy City of Union City Twitter; video embed courtesy Alameda County Fire