Sinkhole forces closure of northbound Grand near Providence Sacred Heart on South Hill

The northbound lanes of Grand Boulevard have been shut down near Rockwood Boulevard after a sinkhole appeared Tuesday morning.

City spokeswoman Marlene Feist said the hole appeared at around noon and was apparently caused by a burst underground 6-inch cast iron pipe feeding water to a fire hydrant.

The water from pipe, installed in 1910, eroded the ground underneath the concrete, Feist said, creating a cavern which would need to be filled.

“They’ll fill that back up once they open the hole more,” she said. “Then they’ll fill it back up.

City street and water crews were at the scene most of Tuesday digging at the hole before they could patch up the pipe. Feist estimated repairs would be finished by Tuesday night, and the northbound lanes of Grand Boulevard reopened by Wednesday morning.