Sinkhole Swallows Part Of Upper West Side Street: See It

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A sinkhole has opened up on a residential street on the Upper West Side, forcing the street's closure while the city rushes to repair it.

The sinkhole on West 87th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West was reported just after noon Friday by City Councilmember Gale Brewer.

Appearing modest in size, it nonetheless required West 87th Street to be closed to vehicle traffic, Brewer tweeted. It stemmed from a leak in a water pipe connected to a neighboring townhouse, and waterto the pipe has been shut off until the property owner makes repairs, according to Edward Timbers, a spokesperson for the city's Environmental Protection department.

All other infrastructure was "operating properly," Timbers said, and restoration to the roadway was set to begin shortly as of Friday afternoon.

Last July, another cave-in nearly devoured two cars on Riverside Drive near West 97th Street — coming, like Friday's, after heavy rain. Yet another sinkhole opened up on the Upper East Side days later.