CHICAGO (WBBM) - The city says it could be as long as a week before Montrose Avenue will be fixed and traffic open again at Wolcott Avenue where a water main break caused a street cave-in overnight.
City Water Management Department Commissioner John Spatz estimates the street sinkhole is "80 feet in diameter" and 15 feet deep.
Spatz says Montrose Avenue caved-in after a three foot section of a 100-year-old cast iron water main ruptured.
He says there were some homes that wound up with water in their basements, but he says the water receded on its own and the city didn't have to pump it out.
City Building Department Comissioner Richard Rodriguez says the water weakened the walls and floor of one commercial building in the area on the south side of Montrose Avenue. The area has been ordered to be vacated until an engineer examines it.
Chicago Police Cmdr. George Rosebrock says cars along Montrose all the way to Lincoln Avenue were going to be towed to clear the street. Owners can pick up their vehicles at Montrose Harbor.
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