

Joshua Freeman, CP24.com





A massive sinkhole is creating traffic problems in the city’s west end.

The hole, which spans the width of a lane and is reported to be roughly 20 feet across, opened up during the morning rush hour on Eglinton Avenue, east of Keele Street and close to Richardson Avenue.

Images from the scene showed chunks of the roadway collapsed into an opening below the busy street.

According to the city, the hole formed after a 100-year-old watermain broke in the area, with gushing water washing away earth under the asphalt.

“The road just collapsed on top of itself,” Joe Cirillo of Toronto Water told CP24.

He said crews have had to deal with plenty of similar incidents so far this year.

“This has been a bad year for us,” Cirillo said. “This past winter we’ve had over 1,200 breaks, so it’s not something we haven’t seen.”

An excavator was brought in to fill in the hole and crews are also working to repair the watermain.

One lane of traffic is open in each direction as crews work to repair the damage. The affected lane is expected to be closed until tomorrow morning.

Motorists are being advised to use alternate routes for the time being.

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