Gigantic sinkhole shuts down downtown Ottawa street

WATCH: Take a look at the massive sinkhole that opened up in downtown Ottawa

TORONTO – City crews are working to figure out how a large 12 metres deep sinkhole developed near a construction site in the nation’s capital.

The eight metres wide hole forced authorities to close Laurier Avenue and Waller Street in downtown Ottawa around 1 a.m. Friday morning.

The cause of the collapse is unknown and still under investigation.

The sinkhole is about 100 metres away from where city crews were digging for a new light rail transit line.

The hole continues to cause major delays for commuters as OC Transpo, the city’s transportation service, had to shut down a nearby transit station.

It’s uncertain if the weather played a factor as much of southern Ontario was under a heavy rainfall warning throughout the overnight hours.

-with a file from The Canadian Press