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Neighbors Say Southeast Side Street Is Sinking

(CBS) -- We're used to city streets scarred by potholes and patches.

But there's a different situation on the Southeast Side that has residents concerned.

CBS 2's Roseanne Tellez takes a closer look at portion of sinking street on Brainard at 136th.

Watch the trucks and cars on this busy stretch of Brainard Avenue, and it just looks like a dip in the road.

Take a closer look. This manhole cover is surrounded by two holes and cracks in the pavement. And the street is sinking.

"I'm not an engineer or anything, but I don't think I should be able to look in a hole and be able to see down under," Shawne Duck says.

Duck first spotted it last summer and notified 10th Ward Ald. John Pope. She posted pictures of temporary repairs made a few weeks ago -- blocks of wood stuck in the holes.

"I just think it's an accident waiting to happen," Duck says.

It may conjure up images of a giant hole that swallowed several cars, also in the 10th Ward, last April. That was blamed on leaks in old pipes underground.

While this doesn't compare in size, Duck worries someone could get hurt if it's not addressed.

"I just don't want anything to happen to anybody," Duck says.

The Water Department says they've barricaded the area and are sending a crew as soon as possible. It's what they call a collapsed manhole, due to the nasty freeze-thaw cycle this winter.

They expect to see more.

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