A steadily growing sinkhole at the corner of Van Brunt and Van Dyke streets in Red Hook has gone from minor nuisance to neighborhood menace, with residents and business owners saying the once subtle dip in the pavement is now big enough to knock products off shelves and damage passing cars.
Sinkhole at Van Brunt and Van Dyke
The opening is estimated at roughly two by three feet across and several inches deep at street level, and neighbors say it has slowly widened, turning an everyday crossing into a genuine hazard. As reported by News12, repeated 311 complaints have so far not led to visible repairs, and the hole has become a daily worry for pedestrians and drivers alike.
"I was walking across the street, talking to my friend, and I stepped right into that hole," resident Mattie Aikman told reporters. Other locals described vehicle damage and rattled shelves. Patrice said she has already damaged "one or two" of her Jeeps, while Ron, who owns a nearby shop, said that "every time a truck goes by, every wine bottle in the store shakes." Those accounts and the city's statement that a Department of Environmental Protection crew is scheduled to investigate were reported by News12.
City protocol and past collapses
When a street surface collapses, the city typically sends in the Department of Transportation first to inspect the damage. If underground pipes are involved, the Department of Environmental Protection or the responsible utility is then supposed to handle repairs, according to a recent Sunset Park sinkhole report. That pattern has played out in other recent Brooklyn sinkholes from Sunset Park to Bed-Stuy, where quick asphalt patches turned out to be temporary fixes until crews could repair leaking water mains or sewers.
For now, orange cones, careful drivers, and anxious shopkeepers are the only safeguards at the corner, as Red Hook residents say they will keep filing 311 reports and pressing the city until the sinkhole is permanently repaired and the block feels safe again.
