That sinkhole feeling

A burst water main caused a sinkhole 20 feet in diameter at the corner of Winthrop and Sherborne Roads early Tuesday morning, leaving neighboring houses without water and northern half of the intersection shut down.

According to Gary Genovese of the Department of Public Works (DPW), who was excavating and fixing the broken pipe, the water main broke in the night and was causing water to come up through the pavement. At 6 a.m., the DPW got the call and shut off the water.

“As soon as you shut off the water, the road collapses,” said Genovese.

The DPW will have to replace between 16 and 18 feet of pipe before filling in the hole.

“Hopefully, we’ll have the water back on by this afternoon,” he said.