The makings of a sinkhole have surfaced in Moraga, where a portion of roadway has begun to sag in an area that has seen sinkholes before. As part of its current storm preparations, the town noticed the sagging roadway while inspecting the area where a previous sinkhole caused major problems. T he town of Moraga closed the portion of road Monday, and vehicles can no longer use the entrance to the shopping center. The road is sinking slightly, but town officials are concerned it could give way if vehicles continue driving over it. In March 2016, heavy El Niño rains eroded the soil around a failing 8-foot metal storm drain pipe that ran underground. That caused the road to collapse, bringing down a traffic signal pole and rupturing a PGE gas line. Another portion of the storm drain pipe failed in 2019, causing another sinkhole. That one was on private property in the parking lot of a gas station, and the owner was responsible for repairing it. The latest occurrence is also on private property, so town officials said the owners of the shopping center are responsible for repairing the pipe underneath the new portion of sinking street. “At this point, I think the concern is the weight of heavy vehicles on that area,” Moraga Police Chief Jon King said. “We are monitoring it as well as the property owner and their engineers. Everybody’s keeping an eye on it. And if it changes, our response would change. As of right now, closing the area to vehicle traffic is what we have deemed necessary.” Stars Gas Station owner Azad Amiri said he believes the roadway will eventually collapse. “This thing is gonna go down because I remember here it happened the same,” Amiri said. “It goes down and eventually it collapse. It’s a big hole.” Moraga’s public works director said repairs on the sagging roadway will begin Wednesday. ...read more read less