Neighbors: New Sinkhole Is Part Of Ongoing Problem In Bay Ridge
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- That sinking feeling has struck again in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where a partial street collapse left a big hole in the road.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reported, the hole on 79th Street in Brooklyn is about 6 feet by 4 feet, and 8 feet deep. Six orange cones and yellow caution tape had to be placed around the hole.
Residents said it is part of an ongoing problem.
"It seems like it happens pretty often -- too often, actually," said Doug Hackett of Bay Ridge.
Just this past Friday, another hole opened in front of the Fergusons' home, also on 79th Street between Third and Fourth avenues in Brooklyn. It has since been patched with asphalt.
Nick Ferguson said the hole could have cost his mother her car.
"My mom's car was actually in the driveway that day," he said. "Usually, we park here. That day, we just happened to park in the driveway."
Chris Ferguson said the problem is nothing new.
"This has been an ongoing problem a couple of years all up and down 79th Street and throughout Bay Ridge," she said.
Indeed, on the other side of Fourth Avenue, a big section was patched earlier this month after a street collapse.
It is just a few feet from a huge street collapse that nearly took out a car in July 2012. That same summer, another massive hole opened up on 92nd Street, and repairs took months.
The root cause is usually found to be leaky sewer and water pipes that wash away the soil under the pavement.
"Probably just age," Hackett said. "They're probably very old. They've probably been around since the city put them down."
Residents said repairs are noisy, inconvenient, and make parking more difficult.
They appreciate when things are patched up, but wish the city could better address the root of the problem buried beneath the streets.
