Sewer line collapse causes large sinkhole in Delran; road could be drivable within week, mayor says

DELRAN, N.J. (WPVI) -- Crews continue to work on one of the main pipes for Delran's sewer water after a large sinkhole opened up in the New Jersey neighborhood on Sunday.

Delran Mayor Gary Catrambone told Action News that Leon Avenue could be drivable within a week at the earliest. But even after that, crews will continue making repairs, which could months.

Police say it happened around 5:30 p.m. in a residential area near 5th Street and Leon Avenue in Delran, Burlington County.

Officials say a major sewer line collapsed on Leon Avenue, causing a portion of the roadway to cave in.

Officials say the sinkhole is 25 feet wide and 15 feet deep.

"A car could fall in there and looks to me a bus could've fallen in there," noted Mayor Catrambone, upon seeing the size of the sinkhole.

Catrambone has been monitoring the progress made in repairing the sinkhole. He says a homeowner first alerted town officials, saying water was spewing out of their toilet.

There are other reports of water gushing from the street and shooting into the air.

The sinkhole appeared shortly after that as the water washed away the soil.

The Delran Sewer Department, Delran Public Works, and Delran First Responders are working to resolve this issue.

"If the Sewer Department wasn't here on site to hear it, see it, and react immediately, it could've gone on longer, and the whole time that water was going it was washing away soil," said Catrambone.

Officials say if this was a planned project and not an emergency, it would likely take months to complete.

Delran officials say residents are now able to get back to showering, running dishwashers and flushing the toilet as normal after reminding residents that they no longer need to cut back on using water like they did right after the pipe collapsed.

The 5th Street pump station, which acts as an artery for water in Delran, was temporarily shut down Monday, prompting the restriction.

"It's a big inconvenience," noted Leo Dutra from Delran. "I have a lot of siblings, I can't shower when I want to."

"We had a couple come here to use the bathroom because they couldn't use their house," said fellow Delran resident Matheus Pinto.

Officials have taped off the area for safety reasons.

If you are affected by this problem and need emergency assistance, officials say to call 911.