Sinkholes forming on Philly streets: ‘The streets are messed up'

At least two sinkholes have formed in the middle of Philadelphia streets, and residents told NBC10 that not enough is being done to fill the sinkholes — as well as potholes — on its roadways.

NBC10 was on the scene at the 4200 block of North 17th Street on Sunday to find a trash can inside the sinkhole to mark the hazard for drivers.

We were there again on Monday to find that a plate had been put on top of this sinkhole, but for some drivers, the damage had already been done.

Lamar Richardson said that he damaged his car driving over the sinkhole.

“It messed my tire up, my hub bearings, my bumper,” Richardson said.

NBC10 was also at the site of another sinkhole on Monday. This one in the area of 23rd and Fitzwater.

Seven SEPTA bus routes are being detoured due to the sinkhole in Southwest Center City.

The cause for these cave-ins are unclear right now., but the Philadelphia Water Department said that, in most cases, water issues cause the ground to collapse.

Resident also told NBC10 that the area has lots of issues with potholes overall.

“In the Nicetown area, it’s bad, like a lot of potholes,” Richardson said. “At the end of the day, our cars are breaking and we got to pay these mechanics and car repair shops to fix our cars. We pay thousands after messing up our cars on the roads.”

Sinaya Bradshaw, another Nicetown resident, also said that there are a lot of potholes in the neighborhood and that the city isn’t doing enough to fix them.

“It’s a lot around here. They don’t really fix them, and they aren’t helping us fix our cars, so they should be fixing the potholes on the street,” she said.

Collin Presley said that the potholes are an issue all around the city, and not just Nicetown.

“All over this city. North, west, it doesn’t matter what area you are in, the streets are messed up,” he said.

Records show that the city’s Streets Department has had more than 1,000 potholes or sinkholes reported to 311 since December, and more than 400 of those cases remain open.

Anyone can report a pothole to the city by calling 311 or submitting an online form, which can be found here.