Industry News: Sinkhole Swallows Bus in Downtown Pittsburgh

[Drew Dowdell]

A Pittsburgh Port Authority Bus became stuck in a sink hole in downtown Pittsburgh this morning.  The bus was waiting at a traffic light when the road gave way.  There were two people on the bus who were able to get off the bus safely. A Kia Optima was also left with its front wheels hanging into the hole.

The incident occurred at about 7:40 a.m. outside the Westin Hotel downtown on the corner of 10th street and Penn Avenue. The hole is about 20 feet deep and 75 feet wide.  The bus is sitting on three powerlines, two of which are high voltage 22,000 volt lines.  Several gas lines and fiber lines have also be impacted. 

The cranes to lift the bus out of the sink hole are being set up and will take 6 to 8 hours to assemble. 

Traffic and bus routes will be rerouted around 10th street until it can be repaired. 

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[Drew Dowdell]

This is right outside my office building (though I'm not there, I work from home until January)

[Robert Hall]

Interesting how the sinkhole looks perfectly square, like a trapdoor in the roadway opened up... 

[Drew Dowdell]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

Interesting how the sinkhole looks perfectly square, like a trapdoor in the roadway opened up... 

Probably right at the expansion joints in the concrete. 

[riviera74]

I though we down here in Florida were the only ones to suffer sinkholes.  I honestly thought that western PA was a little more solid.

[Drew Dowdell]

27 minutes ago, riviera74 said:

I though we down here in Florida were the only ones to suffer sinkholes.  I honestly thought that western PA was a little more solid.

A huge broken pipe under the street washed away all of the support. 

[G. David Felt]

? So not climate change than, lol

[Drew Dowdell]

51 minutes ago, dfelt said:

? So not climate change than, lol

Nope, just crumbling infrastructure.

[ocnblu]

2 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Nope, just crumbling infrastructure.

Jeez man, you and your double flushes.

[G. David Felt]

21 hours ago, ocnblu said:

Jeez man, you and your double flushes.

No one likes stinky lingering fumes, double flush all the way!

[ccap41]

7 minutes ago, dfelt said:

No one likes stinky lingering fumes, double flush all the way!

Oh boy, I sure hope you're joking... 

[G. David Felt]

9 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Oh boy, I sure hope you're joking... 

Could be triple or quadruple flushes, just depends on how many logs you lay. Flush each one to keep it clean and fresh.  

[Drew Dowdell]

Another angle.

[G. David Felt]

WOW, So who's job is it to monitor and make sure these pipes are getting replaced on time? Clearly someone failed in the GOV to maintain the infrastructure.  ?