DC Water General Manager George Hawkins, center, addresses reporters about sinkhole repairs. (Photo via DC Water)

Fixing the sinkhole that swallowed the intersection of 14th and F streets NW a week ago is expected to cost as much as $2 million, D.C. officials said today. But authorities are now hoping to have the affected roadways fixed and reopened by Friday afternoon.

George Hawkins, the general manager of DC Water, told reporters at a press conference in front of the 15-foot void that the sinkhole might have opened because of a damaged connection between a storm drain and the 114-year-old sewer line at the bottom of the chasm.

John Lisle, a spokesman for DC Water, tells DCist the line between the drain and the sewer might have been damaged during the installation of a telecommunications manhole, making it possible for water to seep in to the soil beneath the intersection and erode it enough for the maw to open.

Work on the sinkhole remains a round-the-clock operation, with road closures remaining in effect. Once again, that’s F Street between 13th and 15th streets NW, and northbound 14th Street between Pennsylvania and New York avenues NW.