Another sinkhole shuts down part of street in Allentown, Pennsylvania

© Unknown
A sinkhole that developed in Allentown just a few days before.

    

A sinkhole that developed Tuesday evening forced the Allentown Streets Department to close the 200 block of North 30th Street, city police said.

The sinkhole was discovered when a pedestrian noticed a narrow, 3-foot-long crack in the pavement, about 3 to 4 feet deep. Police said that, just below the pavement, the sinkhole affected an area as wide as 15 feet.

Police Capt. Bill Reinik said the middle of the block was barricaded shut, but residents still can reach their homes. He said the sinkhole probably can be repaired with relatively little bother.

"It's a pretty quiet street, not much traffic, so we don't expect many issues," Reinik said.

The problem was reported about 6:45 p.m., he said. The Streets Department, the Lehigh County Water Authority and UGI were sent to check it out.

Less than 2 hours later, a city streets crew on the scene said the water was running properly, there was no trouble with the gas line, and the sinkhole itself would be repaired Wednesday morning.