An Interstate 805 off-ramp has partially reopened after days of repairs to fill a massive sinkhole that formed there.
The sinkhole on the right side of the two-lane road was reported by a driver at about 8:15 a.m. on Monday, CHP Sgt. Joseph Aboy said.
By the time officers had arrived, the opening had become a massive 25-foot wide and 30-foot deep sinkhole.
CHP completely shut down the roadway to traffic amid concerns that the hole could overtake both lanes of the off-ramp.
By early Wednesday morning, Caltrans said they had reopened the left lane to traffic while the right lane, where the sinkhole had formed, remained closed.
The agency did not say when the right lane would reopen.
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When the sinkhole was reported on Monday, Caltrans crews responded to the scene and came up with a plan to fill the large hole with dirt and asphalt.
But heavy downpours and a broken pipe underneath the road flooded the hole, posing an extra challenge for crews.
Sandbags were placed around the rim of the sinkhole to stop rain from falling inside but the majority of the morning was spent pumping water out of the hole, Caltrans spokesperson Hayden Manning said.
"Water came undetermined into the hole so it took us a long time to actually pump up the water that actually developed into the hole from the rains in the afternoon yesterday," Manning said.
Crews hoped to have the roadway reopened before Tuesday morning's commute but as daylight approached, it was clear the roadway would not reopen in time. Later that evening, crews said it may be possible the evening commute would also be affected.
The Kearny Villa Road exit affected by the closure was one frequently traveled by first responders.
"This a major offramp that emergency medical personnel might take to get to Sharp and [Rady] Children’s Hospital so they’re going to have to find alternate routes to get to the hospital," Aboy said.
It was not clear if any responses were delayed because of the sinkhole.
[G] Sinkhole Forms on Interstate 805 Ramp in San Diego
The agency was still investigating the cause of the sinkhole but Caltrans said but rain may have contributed to the corrosion, Aboy said.
"This looks like something that has formed throughout several days and we had some rainstorms since the beginning of the year, several that may have caused it but don’t know yet," Aboy said.
Caltrans said six culverts, which funnel rainwater into the city's sewage system, run near the sinkhole and may have also contributed to the formation.
No other information was available.
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