© The Cincinnati EnquirerA Cincinnati Metro bus was stuck in a sinkhole Thursday night.
The Metro bus was partially stuck in the hole, 15 feet wide and 15 feet deep, near Vine and Shields streets in Corryville around 9 p.m. Thursday, said Cincinnati police Lt. Tim Brown, the night chief.
"It's crazy," he said.
The bus was towed overnight.
An MSD crew investigated a reported buckle in the pavement earlier Thursday when crews discovered a backup of sewage upstream of the buckled pavement in the sewer manhole, according to a release. The bus drove over the buckled area around 9 p.m., at which point the sinkhole opened.
MSD crews were called to repair the hole, which sewer construction inspector Dave Rieman says is the largest he has seen in at least a decade. "Cave-ins are common, but not ones this big," he said.
"These pipes are put together in two or three sections. Sometimes they open up a little but not collapse like I believe this one did."
Records show the pipe is likely 101 years old, Rieman said.
Workers brought replacement pipes to the site before 7 a.m. Friday. The damaged pipe runs 30 feet under the road.
Sewer service in the area is not affected, a worker said Friday morning. Rieman said no one has reported any backups and that people in the area can use all utilities.
The road where the sinkhole occurred is mainly used as a turnaround for Metro buses and an exit for one of the zoo's main parking lots. About 200 workers from the Cincinnati VA Medical Center had to park in the VA garage because the sinkhole blocked access to the employee parking lot, said spokeswoman Amanda Eisenlohr.
The sinkhole shouldn't affect operations at the zoo much, said Mark Fisher, vice president of facilities, although more staff will be needed to direct traffic in and out of the lot, he said.
Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer
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