A water main break caused a large sinkhole in Chelsea, Massachusetts, Thursday morning, causing delays for area commuters.
By late afternoon the road around the sinkhole was reopened to two lanes of traffic, but the road will be closed again for additional repairs on Friday from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The sinkhole was discovered on Marginal Street at 8:30 a.m. after the water main leak was reported, according to Chelsea Police Department Chief Brian Kyes; however, it's unclear what caused the sinkhole at this time.
"The road was buckling. It was almost in the sinkhole stage," said Chelsea Police Captain Keith Houghton. "It was technically a sinkhole but if the water kept on rushing underneath the ground it could have washed away that silt and made it a serious issue thankfully it happened in broad daylight we were able to get on it quickly."
The incident, near the Chelsea Street Bridge, prompted a road closure with all traffic being diverted up Central Avenue to Willow Street.
Officials urged drivers to find alternative routes from the road, which is a major truck route in and out of East Boston and a popular way for drivers to bypass tunnels coming from Logan Airport, and to pay attention to Chelsea officers who are directing traffic around the sinkhole.
Commuters in the area were not happy about the delays.
Massachusetts
The latest news from around the state
"Wow, it's scary and we're running late for work," said one driver.
Chelsea City Councilor Giovanni Recupero said the incident was predicted with the city's old infrastructure.
"It was going to happen sooner or later because the infrastructure is old," saidRecupero. "We need to fix it. The city council, city manager and all that are trying to fix it. We're trying to make it a better place for people here to live."
Click here for our traffic map.
