A water line ruptured underneath the southern edge of Interstate 8 in Mission Valley today, causing a spectacular geyser that flooded the freeway, dug a yawning sinkhole in the pavement and shut down the eastbound lanes of the regional route for an unknown duration.
A plume of water began spraying several stories into the air on the south side of I-8 near Hotel Circle South shortly after noon, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The overflow, which was continuing 45 minutes later, excavated a sinkhole about eight feet wide in the roadway, according to the CHP, which responded by closing down the entire eastbound side of the freeway.With traffic backing up heavily throughout the area, authorities eventually decided to direct motorists stuck on the freeway to turn around and double back on the southern shoulder, then exit at Taylor Street.
It was not immediately clear if the pipeline break was related to two others that occurred in close proximity to each other a few hours earlier in the nearby Morena district.
Photo Credit: Phil Farrar