Heavy rains wreaked havoc in Guadalajara, causing a massive sinkhole to open up along Avenida López Mateos, the city’s principal north-south boulevard.
The sinkhole — which appeared in southern Guadalajara near the intersection with the Periférico loop road — opened up around 2 a.m. on Thursday. Officials say no injuries or accidents were reported, but the damage caused considerable chaos during morning rush hour as the authorities had to shut down all lanes of traffic in both directions.
¡Desde las alturas! 🕳️ #AlMomento así se ven las reparaciones en el MEGA #socavón de #LopezMateos #ReporteZMG pic.twitter.com/78C1PljBy2
— TráficoZMGuadalajara (@Trafico_ZMG) July 25, 2024
The Jalisco state government quickly issued a statement on social media advising the public of the need to find alternate routes around the affected area, listing several options and assuring residents that they were working to resolve the issue. Alternate routes for public transportation were also published.
David Zamora, the state secretary of infrastructure and public works (SIOP), told reporters it would take at least 10 days to repair the damage. “We will be working around the clock and in conjunction with Zapopan, Tlaquepaque and SIAPA.”
SIAPA is the intermunicipal water system; Zapopan and Tlaquepaque are neighboring municipalities.
The sinkhole is six meters deep, 10 meters wide and four meters across, threatening water pipes and other underground infrastructure and forcing SIAPA to shut down water distribution in the area. Residents of two adjacent neighborhoods — Fracción Cantaluna and Periodistas — were informed they’d be without water until further notice.
SIOP agents and SIAPA technicians were busy inspecting the damage, searching for clues to what caused the crater to develop, while also examining the terrain to determine the best way to repair the road.
The Wednesday night deluge also destroyed a pedestrian bridge in the area, and a nearby drainage portal.
By Friday morning, SIOP had managed to fashion two northbound lanes and one southbound lane but rush hour was still a slog.
Work on the sinkhole should not be affected by the rain forecast. Scattered thunderstorms are expected across western Mexico tonight and Saturday, but warm temperatures and mostly clear skies are forecast through the end of next week.
Las lluvias de este jueves en Av. López Mateos en Zapopan, nos muestran espectacular cenote, pedimos no insistan en llamarlo socavon
— Rocío (@ROCIOALCALAG) July 25, 2024
Many local residents addressed the disaster with humor, creating clever memes that ranged from a Kraken (or Godzilla or Shrek) emerging from the sinkhole to the development of a cenote resort within the crater.
With reports from El Financiero, ADN40 and El Informador
