Some Albert Street residents may have experienced a sinking feeling when they returned home from work yesterday.
The street between Gamma and Delta avenues was cordoned off after a sink hole developed there on Monday around noon, according to Marilyn Towill, Metro Vancouver’s division manager for transmission operations, water services.
The sinkhole is a result of water flowing beneath the road, washing away the gravel bed under the asphalt, she said.
“We’re still investigating the cause of the water and the damage to the street,” she said, adding it doesn’t look like residential properties have sustained any damage at this point.
“Because of the slope of the land, the water was contained primarily to the road,” Towill said.
There were also no reports of injuries, according to Towill.
“We are pleased with that,” she said.
Metro Vancouver is working with the City of Burnaby to determine the source of the water, as both the regional authority and the city have done infrastructure work in the area recently, Towill said.
A crew from Metro Vancouver was on site Tuesday morning, beginning repair work on the sinkhole.
They will peel back the asphalt and replace the gravel fill before repaving the street, according to Towill, who added she couldn’t be sure how long the repair work and investigation would take.
“I expect it’ll be a few days,” she said.
The roadway is blocked to traffic, and Towill advises people in the area to stay clear of the sinkhole itself, as the ground is uneven around it.
“The area is barricaded off for public safety,” she said. “We ask people to respect the barricades that are in place.”
Metro Vancouver estimated the sinkhole was 1.2 metres deep, 4.8 metres long and 1.8 metres across as of Monday night.
