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New York's "Natural Wonder": Street Sinkhole
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 21, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 21, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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When Gothamist saw the news footage of the sinkhole on West 56th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues, the first thing that came to mind was "It's the Hellmouth!" And what else are New Yorkers supposed to think, when a huge 10 foot deep hole emerges on one of the busiest Midtown streets? A monster pothole? That the streets are unstable? Nah. The New York Times puts it into perspective:
About 7 p.m. Sunday, a privately owned service line connected to the water main on 56th Street broke, and tons of dirt holding up the heavy asphalt above was washed away. With no support, the pavement gave way, opening a 20-by-15-foot chasm in the middle of Midtown and depriving some buildings of hot water and air-conditioning all morning. No one was reported hurt and no cars were lost.
"I told my son that that's exactly how the Grand Canyon was formed," said John Trials, who took a break from his job at Xerox at 40 West 57th Street to examine the hole around noon yesterday. "It's amazing what a little water can do."
Does that mean that our Canyon of Heroes could very well be a Canyon of the City? Hmm... The Department of Environmental Protection patched up the hole by yesterday afternoon, but now Gothamist wonders if the sweltering heat is enough to melt the asphalt and cause more sinkholes, creating city-style natural disasters.
Image from CBS 2
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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