WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Multiple crews are working on repairing a massive sinkhole that occurred when a roadway collapsed in Wilkes-Barre.
PennDOT, PPL, Pennsylvania American Water, and Stell Enterprises are all on scene Thursday afternoon, helping restore any lost utilities to neighbors.
Just after 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, the road in the 200 block of Horton Street in Wilkes-Barre gave out, nearly taking a construction vehicle with it and narrowly missing taking out a car passing by.
Neighbors say the road has had issues with heavy trucks going down the street, but they say the truck was parked due to a construction project in the area.
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The driver of that car is safe, and no one was in the truck when the road gave out, but the city is warning people to stay away.
It's the massive sinkhole that nearly swallowed up a truck and car.
The Wilkes-Barre road where that cave-in happened is shut down.
28/22's Gianna Galli hast the latest on Horton Street where crews are working to fix the enormous hole and restore utilities.
The excavation process is happening Thursday.
The collapse occurred Wednesday evening.
No one was injured.
Crews are working to restore water to one final home as they continue work on site.
People on this street tell me they realize there's not much they can do.
This massive sinkhole on Horton street in Wilkes-Barre that opened up Wednesday evening is an inconvenience for neighbors like Dioncio Francisco.
"What are you going to do right," asked Galli.
"Nothing, wait," stated Francisco.
Dioncio Francisco says he was at work when the road opened up Wednesday.
Instead of parking right outside his house, he now has to park down the street.
Luckily he says he doesn't have to leave the house soon since he's off from work Thursday and Friday.
But as construction crews work to clean up the mess and restore any utilities, Francisco still can't believe what he sees.
"That's a big hole, that's big, I've never seen anything like that in my life," expressed Francisco.
This was the moment it happened, around 6:00 p.m. Wednesday night.
Incredible video captured on camera showing the road nearly swallowing a car and a truck.
The work continuing here that could last days to weeks includes setting up a safety perimeter around the sinkhole, beginning the excavation process, and ultimately getting to the bottom of what caused this road to open up.
City officials tell 28/22 News the collapse was likely caused by a back up in the storm water system running more than a dozen of feet below the city.
For now, this neighborhood could expect noise, construction and a big hole to fill.
"That's normal, that's normal, I come from New York there's lots of noise you know," said Francisco.
Construction crews tell me once they wrap up work they will continue Friday morning.
Again, water has been restored in to those in the area.
