WATCH ABOVE: Raw video shows the scene where a possible sinkhole has caused traffic trouble.
TORONTO – Metrolinx, the province’s regional transit agency, says underground tunneling for the Eglinton Crosstown may have been a contributing factor for the damage on the roadway above, closing a portion of Eglinton Ave. W. on Thursday.
“It could have been,” said Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins. “The soil is very soft there and shifts can happen.”
Police blocked off the stretch of road between Kane Ave. and Richardson Ave. after a hole was discovered in the asphalt Wednesday night.
“The tunnel boring machines are long gone out of that area and they were hand tunneling the emergency exit section when they noticed the water leakage,” said Aikins.
City work crews are on scene assessing the damage and conducting necessary repairs.
“At an abundance of caution, they shut down the road for a brief spot and this morning they turned off the water in a one block radius to facilitate the repairs,” Aikins said.
Aikins said the source of the water is unknown and the area was closed as a precaution with a potential for a cavity collapse.
There’s no timeline when the roadway will reopen to traffic.
Meanwhile, businesses and residents in the area are being offered water and portable restroom facilities until repairs are complete.
“You have to be very careful to make sure it’s secure or you can develop a sink hole,” said Aikins. “You can create flooding. We want to make sure none of that happens.”
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