SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A sinkhole formed in San Diego’s Morena neighborhood overnight, forcing the closure of multiple Morena Boulevard lanes Thursday morning.
A San Diego police official said the sinkhole formed on Morena Boulevard and Napa Street at around midnight due to a water main break in the area.
WATCH — Dani Miskell reports live from Morena Boulevard:
All southbound Morena Boulevard lanes — between W. Morena Blvd. and Linda Vista Road — were shut down due to the repair efforts.
One northbound Morena Boulevard lane — between Linda Vista Road and Cushman Avenue — is closed.
The SDPD official told ABC 10News a Sig Alert for the incident was expected to last 24-48 hours.
The cause of the main break is under investigation; city officials said customers impacted by the main break can obtain water from water wagons in the 900 block of Morena Blvd.
Around 2 p.m., a city spokesperson told 10News that SDG&E was working to shut down its power lines in the area, which would take several hours. Once that is done, city crews will be able to access the break, confirm which pipe is damaged and assess the situation.
The same spokesperson says that because of the extended repair timeline, the city will issue a boil water notice to the 10 impacted businesses.
"We don't yet have a timeline for when the water pressure will be back, but we will have more info to share [Friday] morning," the City says. "The road closures will remain in place until repairs are made. Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area and take alternate routes."
SDG&E crews spent Thursday shutting off gas and power lines before repair teams could safely enter the sinkhole to fix the damaged water main. The City is still investigating what caused the break and which pipes were damaged.
The flooding reached businesses along Bank Street, leaving mud at storefronts, including Deft Brewery.
Mo Nuspl, co-founder and owner of Deft Brewing, said the timing was concerning.
"That's a real problem for us in terms of our customers coming tonight and tomorrow, two of our busiest nights of the week," Nuspl said.
Nuspl, whose brewery has operated in the area for 8 years, also said water main breaks are common in the neighborhood.
"We've had a lot of water main breaks along here, especially in this area in Morena, yeah, on Sherman, on Morena, you know, a lot of these pipes are just so old," Nuspl said. "This is as big as I've seen it."
As a precaution, the city will issue a boil water notice for the 10 affected businesses in the area.
There is no timeline for when repairs will be completed and normal traffic flow restored.
The City also said that water wagons will remain in the 900 block of Morena Blvd. Water bottles will also be available.
