Colorado Blvd. Sinkhole Repairs Underway, but How Big Is It?

City crews have been working the last few weeks on a sinkhole that has existed along Colorado Boulevard near Figueroa Street in Eagle Rock for several years. 

Los Angeles City Councilmember José Huizar introduced a motion in the L.A. City Council in October of 2011 to ask the Department of Public Works to determine the cause of it and and report back with recommendations on how to fix it.

The affected area lies about a third of a mile east of the Figueroa Street crossing on the south side, which is blocked to traffic. The project includes the removal and reconstruction of 700 lateral feet of damaged roadway and sub-base, according to Huizar's newsletter. 

The city is unsure how big exactly the sinkhole is, so crews are taking precautions, according to Nate Hayword, field deputy for Huizar.

"Water has washed out the existing sub-structure under the concrete path, so you drill down and it's like empty down there. So what we want to make sure is that if there is any hollow areas outside the initial scope of work, those are included, because we don't want to fix one thing and then have water go in somewhere else," Hayward told the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council at its meeting on Sept. 3. 

Hayward also said said the project would likely take until next year.  

"We're really trying to figure out the exact scope of work and a timeline. As soon as I know more I will let you know," Hayward said. "...It's probably going to take until next year, realistically. We want to do it right, the last thing we want to do is have this happen again in five years."