A section of Mariner Way in Coquitlam will be blocked to traffic over the long weekend after a sinkhole formed Wednesday night.
A contractor working on the Fortis natural gas line upgrade project immediately stopped work when the road opened up south of Hickey Drive, at around 6:45 p.m.
Dan Mooney, Coquitlam's transportation manager, said the sinkhole measures 2.4 m diameter at the surface, and is about 2 m deep "but it extended an undetermined distance horizontally under the pavement."
No cars were in the area at the time and no injuries were reported, Fortis' corporate communications manager Trevor Wales told The Tri-City News today (Thursday). "Public safety is our top priority," he said.
It is the first time a sinkhole has appeared during construction of the Surrey to Coquitlam line, he said.
In the meantime, drivers are being diverted to Dartmoor Drive or Riverview Crescent.
Fortis is also keeping one lane on Mariner Way open for emergency vehicles and "as soon as it's safety, we'll have that lane open for local residents, too," Wales said.
