Photo by @AllenInDC.

In true D.C. summer fashion, we were treated to a guest appearance by a sinkhole on 14th Street NW earlier this week. And boy, did that sinkhole really announce itself! Two days later, and two lanes on 14th Street NW are still closed between Pennsylvania Avenue and Constitution Avenue, causing another traffic nightmare for commuters.

And it looks like the sinkhole will stick around, at least through today. DC Water says they’ll be working on it at least through this evening. To make things even more mysterious, crews still aren’t sure what caused the sinkhole to appear in the first place.

In a release, DC Water says they’ve discovered that the sinkhole is not the result of water and sewer infrastructure, as they originally believed.

“DC Water initially believed a 51-inch sewer could have been the cause of the damage,” a release states. “However, after excavating a large section of the roadway, the Authority determined the sewer pipe in this section of 14th Street NW is in proper working condition. There is no DC Water infrastructure located directly beneath the sinkhole.”

DC Water spokesperson Emanuel Briggs says that crews are still working to repair the sinkhole. The current timeline for completion is this evening, but given our previous history with sinkholes in 14th Street, who really knows how long it will take to fix. Time is a flat circle sinkhole.