Crews repair water main break that caused large Smithtown sinkhole
Suffolk County police say they received a report of a sinkhole on Maple Avenue just before noon on Wednesday.
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A water main break that caused a sinkhole impacting traffic and water service has been fixed.
Suffolk County police say they received a report of a sinkhole on Maple Avenue just before noon on Wednesday.
The Suffolk County Water Authority says it was first alerted to the sinkhole around 10:30 a.m., and crews arrived shortly thereafter. Officials confirmed that 10 properties were affected, including a residential apartment building and commercial buildings.
SCWA said water main repairs were expected to take several hours and that roadway cleanup and restoration work would likely continue well beyond that.
The road closures and water disruptions caused some problems for nearby businesses.
Chris Pittsley, owner of Salsa Salsa, said he first noticed trouble when water began pooling in the parking lot outside his restaurant.
“We noticed water seeping up to the ground and it became steadily heavier,” Pittsley said. “And then the sinkhole started from that broken main. And it's just got progressively busier here with work people since.”
Crews spent Wednesday repairing the damaged water main, while portions of Maple Avenue and southbound Route 111 were closed.
