A sinkhole tore open near Wyoming Street in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, leaving a roughly three-foot-deep hole in the roadway and exposing a gas pipe beneath the surface. The hole appeared fast, according to a neighbor who said she had been inside for about 45 minutes before running a quick errand and finding it upon her return.
That neighbor, identified only as Julia, said she had been inside for about 45 minutes before running a quick errand and discovering the collapse when she returned, according to FOX4KC. City officials learned about the sinkhole after someone posted about it on Facebook, and crews responded once they saw it. Andy Shively, deputy director of KC Water, expressed gratitude for the post that alerted officials to the problem, per the station's report.
Investigators Trace the Collapse to a Decades-Old Drilling Job
An investigation into the cause found that a Spire contractor had horizontally drilled a gas main through a storm sewer, according to Shively. Officials say that drilling is what ultimately caused the street collapse. Spire told KC Water that the gas pipe in question had been replaced back in 2004, meaning the damage to the storm sewer may have sat hidden underground for more than two decades before the street gave way.
Spire has completed the work needed for the project, per the same account, though the broader repair effort continues. The sinkhole itself has been covered with boards so drivers can safely pass over the road while crews sort out a permanent fix. Neighbors in the area have voiced concern about how suddenly the ground opened beneath the street.
Crews Race to Stabilize the Gas Line and Fix the Sewer
On Wednesday, crews worked to raise the gas line above the storm sewer so contractors could repair the damaged section of pipe. The city plans to repair the storm sewer itself and fill in the sinkhole once that work is finished, though the station's report does not specify a timeline for completion or what the final repair will cost.
Kansas City has seen its share of sudden street failures tied to aging infrastructure. A section of Southwest Trafficway collapsed in August, with KC Water identifying the failure of a sewer line installed in 1892 as the source, according to The Kansas City Star; crews there also found a 30-inch transmission main dating to 1932 that needed repairs, and ended up reopening the road about 15 hours ahead of schedule after working around the clock. Reports on how much traffic that stretch carries have varied, with Axios citing a city study putting it above 40,000 vehicles a day, while the Star cited a Missouri Department of Transportation average of almost 30,000 vehicles a day in 2025.
A Pattern of Buried Problems Surfacing Years Later
It's not the first time a Kansas City-area collapse has been traced to infrastructure that failed quietly for years before the street gave way. A 2019 cave-in on Gillham Road was blamed on the failure of a 60-inch combined sewer main along with two 10-inch mains above it, with repair estimates topping $700,000, according to KSHB. In Emporia, Kansas, a century-old storm sewer collapsed beneath a street and partially swallowed a police car before the city completed a full pipe replacement, per KSN.
For now, the Wyoming Street sinkhole remains boarded over while crews finish stabilizing the gas line and plan the sewer repair.
