Local emergency declared due to large sinkhole in Carlsbad
The City of Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Municipal Water District declared a state of local emergency Saturday morning after a large sinkhole developed due to a water main break at the intersection of Carlsbad Village Drive and El Camino Real.
The local emergency allows for road repairs to begin immediately, according to a press release from the City of Carlsbad.
The water main break was reported at 4 a.m. Saturday, and the large sinkhole is affecting six lanes of El Camino Real and four lanes of Carlsbad Village Drive, according to the Declaration of Local Emergency.
The repairs are expected to take approximately 36 hours.
The city asks that all travelers avoid the area, use alternate routes, and allow extra travel time to get to their destination.
The local emergency will be in effect until next month’s Carlsbad City Council meeting which is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2026. At that meeting, officials say the council will decide if the local emergency will need to be extended for an additional period of time if the infrastructure repairs require it.
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