East Valley Road Closed Due to Sinkhole

A large sinkhole opened up on East Valley Road yesterday, May 17, threatening to gobble up cars, bicycles and pedestrians alike and forcing Caltrans to close a portion of the road.

Motorists are encouraged to avoid the affected portion, located on Route 192 between Freehaven Drive and Ortega Ridge Road, and use Via Real and Toro Canyon Road to get around the closure, according to a press release from Caltrans.

The sinkhole, measuring six feet in diameter and eight feet in depth, did not cause any injuries when it was first reported around 5 p.m. yesterday, Caltrans spokesperson Jim Shivers said.

Due to the varying complexity of sinkholes, which are usually fixed by inserting a drainage pipe into the opening, Shivers said he could not estimate when the sinkhole will be fixed, but hoped to have an update on the situation by Thursday.