Crews were working Thursday to repair a large sinkhole that prompted closure of a street in Redondo Beach.

The problem was reported at about 3 p.m. Wednesday on Ford Avenue at Dixon Street, said Mike Klein, deputy director of public works in Redondo Beach. Though the hole began at about 2-by-3 feet, it later grew to about 20-by-20 feet — or half the street — primarily because crews enlarged it to replace a storm drain pipe, Klein said.

The recent deluge of rain has stressed 50-year-old storm drains in Redondo Beach, Klein said.

“One of the problems we’re having right now, is we haven’t had a whole lot of rain in a while,” Klein said.

The pipe is 50 to 60 years old, and officials believe it rusted through during last week’s rain. Replacing the pipe did not cause any loss of water to residents, but it did hamper at least one neighbor’s ride to work.

Replacing the storm drain pipe while rain was falling complicated the repair work, Klein said. Though the crew uses a truck that acts as a vacuum, the steady rain overnight meant emptying the water from the truck several times.

“That truck holds 5,000 gallons of water. We vacuumed up 20,000 gallons of water last night,” he said Thursday morning.

Klein said the last time the city dealt with replacing a storm drain was about a year ago. As the pipes age, the city will need to address the problem, he said.

Soon, city engineers will be surveying places throughout the city with underground pipes, and creating a plan to line the piping.

“The city’s getting older, infrastructure’s getting older,” he said.

Klein anticipated work on the street would end by late afternoon Thursday.