Sinkhole On I-90 In Boston Wreaks Havoc On Cars

BOSTON — One woman described the aftermath of a hole that caused damage to several cars this morning as "almost like a war zone." Crews blocked off the right side of a Mass Pike off-ramp after a sinkhole appeared on and exit ramp in Boston. State Police said the Exit 22 ramp was still open this morning, but watch for a slow down as the right side of the ramp is closed while MassDOT repairs it.

The hole in the exit area isn't as big as to swallow a car whole as happened in 2015, but it did cause havoc during the Friday morning commute, according to drivers.

"It was bad, it was really bad," said Sally Goldfarb who was coming from Needham to help take care of a new granddaughter in Boston.

She left Needham at 9:30 a.m. to head into the South End and three hours later she was stuck at an auto repair in Boston after she drove into the hole, got a flat and had to be towed.

Goldfarb estimates at least a dozen others met the same fate.

She said as she approached the exit, she couldn't see anything wrong with the road. And then suddenly the car in front of her shook as it went into it. There were cars in the left lane, so she was forced to brace herself and stay the course and hope for the best.

"What could I do? " she said. But she felt immediately something was wrong, and that had been no ordinary pothole.

She pulled over near Nieman Marcus and saw that the guy in front of her had a flat tire, too. He wasn't the only one.

"On the other side of the street there were cars with flat tires and behind me pulled up the next car with two flat tires," she said. Later she saw cars stopped farther down Dartmouth also had flats.

She praised Boston and State police as both nice and polite. They told her the damage, and the hole was MassDOT responsibility.

While she was waiting for AAA and watching tow truck companies come tow away car after car, as police took reports, she said four DOT trucks passed by without so much as an acknowledgment that they were aware of the hole.

"Where's your common courtesy?" said the former state employee.

Finally, one went into the tunnel and blocked off the hole, she said.

"I know these things happen, but what is frustrating is; I just want to get reimbursed, and I'm just anticipating it not going smoothly," she said.

An urban sinkhole is usually caused by water erosion under the ground and then the last thing to give way is the top part. They are often a side effect of a water main break.

A MassDOT spokesperson said anyone who got a flat today on the roadway can find information on how to make a claim on their website:

• MassDOT: How To File A Claim (only by snail mail and within 30 days)
• MassDOT: Damage Caused By Roadway Defects.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).