Skyway being checked if affected by Sales Road deep hole —MMDA

Authorities are now checking if the deep hole on Sales Road is affecting the integrity of Skyway’s foundation, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said on Monday.

In a press conference, MMDA chairperson Romando Artes said that so far the Skyway is safe.

“Kung makikita natin sa pictures, maraming poste ng Skyway ang nandyan so kailangan din pong tignan kung naapektuhan 'yung integrity nitong mga poste po ng Skyway,” Artes said.

(If we can see in the pictures, there are many Skyway poles there, so we also need to see if the integrity of these Skyway poles has been affected.)

“Sa ngayion naman po, safe naman po 'yung mga Skyways natin. 'Yun lamang po, kanila pong i-a-assess ito during the day kung ano o 'yung epekto ng sinkhole na ito at ano ang extent ng damage,” he added.

(Right now, our Skyways are safe. But they will assess the effect of the sinkhole and its extent during the day.)

On Sunday, authorities discovered a deep hole on Sales Road near Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

The hole was initially observed at 6 a.m. with just small cracks and quickly developed into a 3-meter crater that was 10-feet deep.

The affected lane was temporarily closed.

“Sa ngayon po, nag-iimplement tayo ng counterflow kung kailangan doon sa lugar dahil hindi pa rin ito nadadaanan dahil medyo delikado,” Artes said.

(Right now, we are implementing a counterflow if necessary in that area as it is still not passable because it is quite dangerous.)

“Hindi po natin alam 'yung extent pa noong damage doon sa nasabing kalsada at hinahanap pa po 'yung source ng tubig para ma-plug 'yung leak bago po ito matabunan, masementuhan, at madaanan ng ating mga kababayan,” he added.

(We don't know the extent of the damage on that road and we are still tracking the source of the water to plug the leak before we cover, cement, and allow motorists to pass the road.)

Maynilad on Sunday shut the water valve to avoid further water leaks, while authorities used a vacuum truck to remove water from the hole and determine the source of the water leak.

The Department of Public Works and Highways - NCR is investigating the matter to determine if Maynilad pipes caused the hole.

Maynilad advised five barangays near Sales Road to expect delays or interruptions up until 10 p.m. on Sunday due to the repair on affected water lines.

In a statement Monday, Maynilad said the hole was likely formed because the soil got drenched from the water spilling out of a pipe leak.

"We conducted leak detection yesterday and found that the leak was coming from a secondary pipeline (200mm diameter) along Sales Road corner Gozar St., Pasay. Our field personnel completed repairs around 1 a.m. earlier," it said.

"We're currently investigating who caused the pipe damage. The pipe is fairly new, and it sustained an external hit likely from third parties," it added.—KG/AOL, GMA Integrated News