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Second Ave. Traffic Snarled After Metal Plate Slips Off Sinkhole

By Ben Fractenberg | December 5, 2011 11:47am
A sinkhole opened on a busy stretch of Second Avenue at East 40th Street on Mon., Dec. 5, 2011.
A sinkhole opened on a busy stretch of Second Avenue at East 40th Street on Mon., Dec. 5, 2011.
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DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg

MIDTOWN EAST — A sinkhole opened up on a busy stretch of Second Avenue during the Monday morning rush, snarling traffic.

The sinkhole was on the center lane of southbound traffic on Second Avenue near East 40th Street, and had been covered by a massive metal plate before it slipped loose some time before 9 a.m. this morning, officials said.

Traffic veered around the dip in the street while a Verizon truck set up nearby. Orange traffic cones had been placed around the sinkhole to divert traffic.

An FDNY spokesman said they had no record of injuries as a result of the hole. A Department of Transportation spokesman referred calls to the Department of Environmental Protection, which did not immediately return a call for comment.