Sinkhole in downtown San Francisco closes intersection

Motorcyclist drives into sinkhole in downtown San Francisco

The motorcyclist was commuting home to Concord from the city when he drove right into the sinkhole. KTVU's Bailey O'Carroll reports.

SAN FRANCISCO - A sinkhole developed at an intersection in downtown San Francisco on Tuesday evening and a motorcyclist who encountered it feels lucky to be alive.

Officials advised the public to avoid the area of California and Montgomery streets, where the intersection was closed. By late night the roadway was reopened.

A spokesperson for the San Francisco Fire Department said the first call came in at 6:57 p.m. about a motorcyclist that hit a sinkhole, causing him to crash.

Sinkhole at California and Montgomery streets in San Francisco. Photo: SF Fire Dept.

Witnesses rushed in to help the motorcyclist, who had minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The sinkhole is 4 ft by 4 ft. Officials said the hole is at least 3 ft. deep.

The motorcyclist was eventually released from the hospital and came back to the scene with his wife to pick up his motorcycle. "You couldn't tell if there was anything there at all," said Arwi Odense about the moment before he flew off his motorcycle. "It felt as if somebody had like kicked my feet underneath me. Before I knew it, I was on the ground."

A witness saw that he was bleeding.

Fire officials said Department of Public Works also responded and were able to isolate a pipe gushing water from the hole and shut it down. Repairs are still underway. DPW said the structural integrity of the pavement and surrounding area appears to be fine.

Motorcyclist feels lucky to be alive after hitting San Francisco sinkhole

A motorcyclist says he feels lucky to be alive after running over a sinkhole in San Francisco Tuesday. He suffered minor injuries. Meanwhile, crews were able to shut off a water line that gushed water from below. They also patched up the sinkhole in a short amount of time.

The city's Department of Emergency Management alerted residents of an "obstruction" in the area and said emergency crews are on scene.

"The DPW and PUC (Public Utilities Commission) experts here are confident that the intersection will be mostly reopened tomorrow and that the damage has been isolated," said SF Fire Dept. spokesperson Capt. Justin Schorr.

At around 7:30 p.m., San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency posted to social media that the California cable car line would be suspended for the remainder of the night. It was not clear if the agency planned to have service at the busy intersection running again by Wednesday. Riders can monitor the SFMTA social media accounts for the latest.

Workers are still trying to determine the official cause and whether the rain had anything to do with the sinkhole. Tuesday saw a steady downpour in San Francisco.

There are concerns the ground is absorbing rain water. Earlier on Tuesday, a large tree blocked a roadway when it fell at Sutter and Hyde streets. A day earlier, a large eucalyptus tree came crashing down on five vehicles in Golden Gate Park. In both incidents, no one was hurt.