Garfield residents express concern as sinkhole that partially swallowed box truck appears to return

PITTSBURGH — Channel 11 is getting answers for neighbors in Garfield worried about a sinkhole that has been fixed but appears to be slowly caving in.

Some cars were driving through the crater while others tried to go around it on N. Evaline Street.

“It’s literally caving in,” said driver Sharell Johnson.

Channel 11 was just at the corner on N. Evaline and Dearborn streets after a big sinkhole swallowed part of a box truck days before Christmas.

Pittsburgh Water said a water main break earlier in the day caused the gaping hole.

Tenley Schmida lives at the intersection and remembers that day the truck fell into the sinkhole and became stuck.

“They had pulled it out with another tow truck,” Schmida said. “The whole road was spouting water from all the cracks. It was something to see.”

The water company filled the hole with cold patch later that night but since then, people have noticed what appears to be more sinking.

“It’s slowly been sinking a little more,” Schmida said. “It’s just something we’ve all kind of gotten used to just keeping an eye out.”

Sharell Johnson of Highland Park said she worries about another car falling in at any moment.

“It’s literally sinking more and more each day, and it looks like something can literally fall in here,” she said. “What are they going to do about it?”

Pittsburgh Water looked into the corroding pavement right after Channel 11 started asking questions.

Rebecca Zito, the public affairs senior manager for Pittsburgh Water, said the bone-chilling temperatures have been wearing the cold patch away and crews will fix it as soon as possible.

“They work really hard,” Schmida said. “They’re out here working all the time so you can’t say anything bad about that.”

Once the weather warms up, the water authority plans on adding N. Evaline Street to its restoration list to fully repave the street.

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