Evergreen Line sinkhole closes Clarke Road indefinitely

A two-metre widesinkhole along the Evergreen Line in Port Moody that appeared Friday evening was filled Saturday, but a major road still remains closed to traffic.

And officials weren't sayingwhen Clarke Road at Seaview Drive might reopen.

The sinkhole, the fourth to open up along the underground line since January, was about two metres across before construction crews filled it with concrete, saidEvergreen line spokeswoman Amanda Farrell.

Farrellsaid crews were performing maintenance on the boring machine,when some of the ground outside the machine gave way creatingan air pocket that caused the hole.

She said mitigation measures had been putin place to prevent it from happening, but crews will now have to amend their plans.

In January, project management for the Evergreen Line promised residents at a public meeting steps would be taken to ensure this wouldn't happen again.At the time, residents complained that the boring of the tunnel was causing cracks to appear in the walls of their homes.

The boring machine is about halfway through the tunneling process with 54 per centof the project completed. There is still one more kilometre left to bore.

The $1.5 billion,11-kilometre line is expected to open in the fall of 2016.

MAP: Clarke Road at Seaview Drive, Port Moody