Workers pulled a recycling truck from a sinkhole in West Seattle on Monday.
It happened at the corner of 24th and Kenyon.
Crews with Seattle Public Utilities told KIRO 7 late Monday night that there was a broken, 18-inch drainage pipe underground. Because the sewer line and storm drainage line intersect near that location, crews took a camera to inspect both.
They said the sewer line looked to be in good shape. When they tried to look at the drainage line however, there was a lot of debris that needed to be vacuumed out of the pipes.
“Really glad that there was no school today though, because if it was a bus or something, that could have been completely terrifying,” said Morgan Butler, who lives nearby.
Butler had been driving to the grocery store when she saw the truck in her rear-view mirror. She thought it had a flat tire until she returned home to find work crews and police trying to help.
Seattle Public Utilities staff cleared most of the debris so water could flow freely again. Now engineers will inspect the area before crews can excavate and repair the pipe.
The sinkhole is on a dead end road on a neighborhood street, but for people who use the route regularly, it may be a few days before the road is fully repaired.
Engineers will be at the site Tuesday morning to do more inspections.
The sinkhole isn't far from where a hillside collapsed in West Seattle last week, forcing Highland Park Way Southwest to be shut down for days.
BREAKING: New aerial video shows the mudslide in West Seattle. >> kiro.tv/WSeattleMudSlide
For KIRO 7 News at 5 p.m., we're following how more expected upcoming rainfall could increase the risk for landslides. Watch on-air or kiro.tv/LiveNews.
Posted by KIRO 7 News on Wednesday, February 15, 2017
The Seattle region has taken a beating with rain over the past month. This February has already slipped into the top six wettest in Seattle weather history.
KIRO 7 PinPoint Meteorologists report that the monthly total at Sea-Tac Airport stands at 8.06” coming into Monday. The record is 9.11” in February of 1961.
>> Download the KIRO 7 Weather app for updates around your home.
Mudslides created messes and traffic delays on Washington interstates last week, most notably on Interstate 90 and Interstate 5.
Cox Media Group
