It’s been nearly one year since Jason Nielsen first noticed a small sinkhole in a canyon next to his house in University City. The hole started relatively small, about 15 feet across, on top of a mountain biking and walking trail that he says people use to access Marian Bear Memorial Park.
“My own family, we hike down here often, so that’s a disappointment,” Nielsen told NBC 7. He has documented the progress of the sinkhole over the past 12 months and said he has had repeated conversations with the City of San Diego and Councilmember Kent Lee, who represents the area, to get it fixed.
“It’s going to keep getting bigger and bigger,” he said. “My house is only about 30 yards from here and I worry about the hillside just collapsing in and getting worse. I don't see it getting any better, especially as rainy season comes.”
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The sinkhole is now large enough for an SUV to fit into and city crews have blocked off the entire canyon area with chain link fences, cones, warning signs and caution tape. A spokesperson for the City of San Diego shared a statement with NBC 7 that “the sinkhole on Syracuse Avenue is the result of deteriorating metal pipes underground that need to be replaced.” The statement explained “the site was evaluated in early April 2024 and placed on the emergency project list for repairs and funding.”
They added that work was scheduled to begin to make repairs this week, “but the rain delayed the work.” Now, they plan to take action on a permanent solution when the rain stops.
In the meantime, Nielsen said, he is just left to wait and hope it doesn’t expand into anything worse.
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“There’s not really anything I can do,” he said.
