A large sinkhole that appeared on a historic street in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood around Christmas has continued to disrupt traffic and frustrate neighbors and nearby businesses, some of whom say they’re still waiting for answers about when it will be repaired.
The sinkhole sits along the 200 block of Church Street, a narrow roadway lined with homes, small businesses and frequent tourist foot traffic.
Mittul Patel, general manager of Old City Coffee, said the location is normally one of the area’s biggest draws.
“It’s a beautiful, charming street,” Patel said.
But right now, he said, the large hole blocking the roadway is making it harder for his customers to access the coffee shop.
“Obviously it makes it harder to walk across, do deliveries, trash pickup,” Patel said.
A nearby resident who declined to share his name said the issue first appeared in late December.
“There was a period of time when our water was cut off… on Christmas Day, in fact,” the neighbor said.
While residents say water service was restored, the sinkhole has remained in the roadway for months.
Old City resident Stephanie Ott described the situation as “chaotic.”
“It’s been a big issue with the through traffic, because now people can’t get down Church Street,” Ott said.
Neighbors said city crews have come to work on the site intermittently, often during overnight hours.
Neighbors say, the sinkhole has also become a noticeable sight for visitors and tourists, adding they worry about the impression it leaves on tour groups.
“It shows that people don’t care,” a resident said.
With Philly expected to welcome large numbers of visitors this summer, some business owners say they hope the problem is resolved soon.
“I understand that things have to get worked on, but this does seem to be dragging on for quite some time,” Patel said. “It would be great to have this fixed up before all the tourists come for the summer.”
CBS News Philadelphia has reached out to the Philadelphia Water Department to confirm what caused the sinkhole and when repairs may be completed. We are still waiting to hear back.
