In a confluence of events that only Hollywood could have imagined, on the same day that a national study ranked Jersey City’s rental markets among the top 10 hottest in the nation, a sinkhole the size of a studio apartment opened up on one of the city’s busiest streets.
The sinkhole, located on Sip Avenue at Hawthorne Avenue, opened up during Wednesday’s late-afternoon rush hour. The sinkhole was caused by an 8” water main break and a 32” sewer collapse, and SUEZ has been on-site conducting repairs. At this time, Sip Avenue is closed between West Side and Bryant Avenues. No one was injured, but the damage and repairs have blocked the road for the time being.
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Also this week, a study released by StorageCafe.com named Jersey City as the 8th hottest rental market in the US. Renters are attracted to the JC market because of its strong job market, proximity to Manhattan, and larger apartments compared to NYC. Incoming residents make up more than three times the amount of those leaving the area. The majority of incoming residents are millennials.
The sinkhole is described as being 6” wide, 10” long, and 10” feet deep, and the size is being compared to a studio apartment. Local brewery Departed Soles suggested a ‘listing coming soon’ on the sinkhole on its Instagram.
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A sinkhole is an area of ground with no natural external water drainage. Spring is often prime time for sinkholes and potholes as the ground underneath paved roadways is often saturated with melted snow and ice. Sip Avenue had two similar sinkhole incidents in July 2021 following two summer thunderstorms, one on July 2nd on Sip Avenue between West Side Avenue and Clendenny Street, and one on July 8th between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and West Side Avenue. The July 2nd storm resulted in a sinkhole that was 20”x20” and 6” deep.
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Hoboken residents may recall that in March 2016, there were several water main bursts that caused sinkholes. Two occurred within a 24-hour period, and another sinkhole was large enough to swallow a resident’s car near Clinton and 1st Streets. In February 2017, another large Hoboken sinkhole destroyed another resident’s car, this time an SUV, near Willow Avenue and Fifth Street.
SUEZ Update: car has been removed from sink hole. Emergency crews are able to begin excavation on-site. pic.twitter.com/pwv3prBoqz
— SUEZ Water NJ (@SUEZwaterNJ) March 14, 2016
New Jersey residents can report potholes and sinkholes to the NJDOT’s Public Problem Reporting platform, which covers state-maintained roads. Each city and county has its own reporting methods for its own roads. The NJDOT conducts a ‘Pothole Palooza’ each spring and reports that in 2022, it filled over 37,000 potholes from January 15th to February 15th, an increase from 34,000 during the same period in 2021.
Hudson County residents can report a pothole to the County’s SeeClickFix website. A user had reported several potholes on Sip Avenue near Hawthorne Street to the facility on April 20th before the large sinkhole gave way. An official from the city responding to the repair request said that pothole repairs are usually made within 48 hours unless there is heavy rain, which interferes with the repair materials.
