Sinkhole closes portion of East 15th Avenue as Anchorage crews assess repairs

East 15th Avenue is expected to be closed in both directions between Lake Otis Parkway and Orca Street until Friday evening as crews repair a sinkhole, a municipal official said.

Anchorage police issued an alert Thursday morning asking drivers to use another route as municipal street maintenance workers assess the situation. Crews initially responded to a report of a pothole that came in around 6:45 a.m., then discovered it was actually a deeper sinkhole, said municipal Street Maintenance Manager Paul VanLandingham.

An aging pipe below the road separated at its joints and collapsed, he said, which created a void that led to the sinkhole. Crews will replace that section of pipe Thursday night and resume work early Friday, VanLandingham said.

The goal is to reopen the road between 5 and 6 p.m. Friday, he said.