‘More than an infrastructure issue’: Residents concerned after second sinkhole opens in southeast Baltimore

By Tommie Clark

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    BALTIMORE, Maryland (WBAL) — nother sinkhole claimed part of a vehicle in southeast Baltimore on Thursday, just weeks after a sinkhole opened nearby.

Not only did a second Baltimorean find their car in a crater, but now, the damage appears worse than before along the original street.

“I get home to find my car, which was parked right out front of my house, in the sinkhole,” said southeast Baltimore resident Lindsay Henkel.

Henkel had been without water for days when she found her vehicle in a hole along South Collington Avenue.

“I was very frustrated, very angry. I think just due to being without water for so many days prior, I was dealing with trying to get ahold of the city, so when I saw that I was like, ‘Of course this is happening,'” Henkel said.

“I immediately stopped what I was doing and drove over,” said southeast Baltimore resident Brystal Gwinn, who lives a couple of blocks away along South Montford Avenue and saw her car partially inside of a sinkhole on Jan. 28.

Temporary road repairs are also sinking into the street.

“Less than two days, as soon as it started raining, it immediately started collapsing in,” Gwinn said.

“You’re worried about what could sink next,” Southeast Baltimore resident Charlene Sanders said.

The damage has only spread down the street.

“I had water in my basement. It was flooding,” Sanders said.

Sanders said her basement flooded the following day after 11 News’ initial story aired. She was told that a service line broke under the street, leading right to her home. Sanders said it took days, lots of calls and multiple 311 tickets to get a fix.

For years, neighbors have called their council members and placed 311 tickets to alert the city to the poor condition of the street. Now, they want a more permanent fix.

“It’s more than an infrastructure issue, it’s a safety issue. So, not really understanding the path forward or what’s going to be done about that is also just really concerning,” Gwinn said.

Gwinn said Baltimore City Councilman Mark Parker, D-District 1, stopped by her house and his team is investigating what has happened. They’re hopeful that the road will receive a facelift, but it’ll take time.

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation and the Baltimore City Department of Public Works are coordinating long-term plans for the area.

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