The portion of the Schuylkill River Trail between Race Street and JFK Boulevard will be indefinitely closed because of a large sinkhole that has formed under the surface.
The Schuylkill River Development Corporation, the nonprofit that oversees the management of the corridor in partnership with the city, is working alongside Philadelphia's Parks & Recreation Department and Water Department to conduct emergency repairs. Both city agencies didn't immediately respond to a request to comment
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SRDC President Joseph Syrnick said a trail user notified the organization about the crater late last week. When engineers visited the site, they discovered a sinkhole roughly 8 feet deep, 8 feet wide and 10 feet long — most of it concealed by asphalt. So far, it's unclear what caused the sinkhole.
That section of the trail was closed Tuesday afternoon, and Syrnick warned the repairs could take months.
"We don't know what's going on down there … but I don't think this happened over night" Syrnick said. "We have to figure out what this is and do a design of the fix, which may be easy or hard. Until that happens, we won't have a clue about [when it will reopen] or what it will cost."
The sinkhole is near a sewer line, which requires the Water Department to get involved to ensure there's no damage to the infrastructure.
While the area is closed, the SRDC suggests using detours that are posted on fencing around the trail and the group's website.