Sinkhole opens up a block away from White House

A sinkhole opened up on Tuesday afternoon in the road a block away from White House grounds in Washington, D.C.

D.C. police said in a tweet that 17th Street NW between C and E streets NW was closed in both directions because of the sinkhole.

Traffic Alert
*17th St NW btw C St and E St NW is CLOSED-Off in both directions; Large Sinkhole forming in the roadway
Watch for MPD Directions – DDOT en route

— DC Police Traffic (@DCPoliceTraffic) January 22, 2019

Sergio Gor, a staffer for Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), tweeted a photo of the sinkhole. The road appeared to buckle near the corner of 17th and D streets NW, with the crater taking up roughly one traffic lane.

Sinkhole just opened up on 17th street NW, one block away from the White House! pic.twitter.com/JjSMA1gm1I

— Sergio Gor (@SergioGor) January 22, 2019 

A sinkhole formed last summer on the north White House lawn near the entrance to the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room. The hole was cordoned off, excavated and repaired over the course of roughly a week last May.

The District Department of Transportation was en route to the sinkhole on Tuesday afternoon.