Photo by Andrew Wiseman

The news for commuters isn’t getting any better tonight. The sinkhole that opened yesterday at the intersection of 14th and F streets NW continues to be a gaping pit in the middle of two major downtown arteries, while workers from DC Water continue to repair the damage and figure out just why the street caved in.

Crews will be on site around the clock, but yesterday’s hopes of having the affected streets re-open in time for this evening’s rush hour were folly. Jill McClanahan, a DC Water spokesman, says there is no estimate for when the road will be restored.

DC Water is still trying to determine what caused the 15-foot-deep chasm to open, with concrete plummeting onto a sewer line that dates back to 1897. The repair job is also being hindered somewhat by old trolley tracks that lie beneath street level, McClanahan says.

With repairs to the maw at the heart of downtown D.C. still going, 14th Street remains closed off between New York and Pennsylvania avenues NW, and F Street is blocked from 13th to 15th streets NW. Metro will keep redirecting its 52, 54, and 11Y bus routes around the affected area.