Irrigation line leak causes sinkhole in McAllen

McALLEN - An irrigation line leak sunk a 500-foot stretch of land along Mile 5 line on Monday morning.

The soil had been loosened by contractors installing stormwater and sewer lines, which could have contributed to the sinkhole, said McAllen Public Works Director Carlos Sanchez.

The hole started at the street's intersection at Taylor Road and spread eastward toward Bentsen Road.

The vehicle of one resident trying to pull out of the driveway ended up stuck in the sink way, Sanchez said.

City crews blocked off 5 Mile between Bentsen and Taylor. The city contacted the irrigation district that manages the line that ruptured, Sanchez said.

Public works crews arrived shortly after 8 a.m. and pulled the vehicle out of the sinkhole. Public works employees redirected traffic on Taylor and Bentsen roads and checked water and sewer lines to make sure they did not break as well.

O. Garza Elementary School, located across the street from the sinkhole on Taylor, rerouted its buses to 6 Mile Line, but school operations were not affected, said Jesse Muñiz, Sharyland school district's assistant superintendent for business and finance.

Muñiz said the buses will be rerouted until the sinkhole is filled.