NEWBURGH, N.Y. -- It was a routine check of the city's sewer and water system.
What officials found was anything but routine: a sinkhole the size of a box truck, approximately 15 feet long by 5 feet wide.
"We're looking for the areas in which there may be problems with our sewage," said Newburgh City Manager Michael Ciaravino. "We're trying to identify and do an inventory of our assets. As part of that routine inventory, we discovered this, thankfully."
The sinkhole, located at the intersection of Water and Second streets, caused officials to close down a portion of the road, diverting traffic while attemping to figure out a solution to what could have been a catastrophic incident.
"This is an imminent threat in danger of collapsing in the middle of the intersection," Ciaravino said.
Officials have been at the scene assessing the sinkhole and collecting data, all in preparation for an emergency sewer dig.
On Tuesday, just a day before this finding, crews were out paving Water Street, using equipment that weighs anywhere between 30,000 to 40,000 pounds. There's no saying what would have happened had the sinkhole given way.
"With all the milling work that's been done, and the construction vehicles that have been here, as well as the vibration of the trains -- they're doing construction along the CSX lines -- we are all of the opinion that it's a small miracle that this has not collapsed," Ciaravino said.
There's no word yet on how long it will take to repair the sinkhole. Officials want residents to know that no businesses have been affected, though, and people should continue as normal, despite the minor driving detour.