OCEANSIDE — A sizable sinkhole on North River Road closed the eastbound lane of the road past Wilshire Road for about 24 hours Nov. 20.
Shortly after the road collapsed, former City Manager Peter Weiss updated City Council during that evening’s council meeting.
“They are working around the clock to get it resolved,” Weiss said. “They are allowing some traffic, but it’s very limited.”
A motorist spotted the sinkhole and called in the problem.
There were no related accidents and a crew was quickly on site evaluating the problem and redirecting traffic.
For drivers going eastbound the temporary road closure caused them to take a lengthy detour.
The cause of the sinkhole is thought to be the corrosion of bolts on the drainline and main waterline, that allowed water to seep out, saturate the ground, and ultimately cause the sinkhole.
When the repair crew got to the pipes, the pipes were blown out, and the exact origin of the leak could not be determined.
About 10 residents in the Morro Hills neighborhood were without water for 12 hours.
Homeowners were not notified, but water was back in service and the road was open by the next day.
“Our efforts focused on making sure we can do the repair,” Cari Dale, water utilities director, said. “It was a fairly easy repair to make and the crew was very expeditious at getting customers back in service to get water.”
By the afternoon of Nov. 21 the crew had made the repair, backfilled the 15-foot deep trench, and repaved the road.
“They do occur and we appreciate everyone’s patience,” Dale said.
