A sinkhole is wreaking havoc on a Cardiff neighborhood.
Part of the sidewalk on Lake Drive has been washed away, and the recent rains have only made the situation worse. Cardiff resident Jeanie Retlinger sees it as a near miss — years ago, she almost built a house on the exact spot.
“I married an architect and he loved this little piece of property and he wanted to build a pool house here because it has a panoramic view to Seaside beach down there,” said Retlinger, who was out walking her dog near the site of the sinkhole. “I called him yesterday and I said 'you know if we’d have built that house, we would have lost it.'"
Officials say the sinkhole was caused by an underground pipe installed years ago.
The closure of Lake Drive is also causing traffic issues. Motorists are being diverted along nearby Crest Drive, where residents say speeding cars are making the road dangerous.
“I would definitely put speed bumps in or even have the police give tickets,” said Crest Drive resident Eva Engelsberger. “People are coming through here like 50 mph. It’s scary. I mean all the neighbors are concerned.”
Cardiff is governed by the City of Encinitas. The city released a statement last week saying the work is expected to last through April.
At least one resident says the city is being overly optimistic.
“As you can see, It’s quite dramatic," said Cardiff resident Paul Howard. “ I don’t think the City of Encinitas will have it all cleared and repaired within six weeks.”
