City of Moraga declares local state of emergency for massive sinkhole

MORAGA, Calif. (KGO) -- The town of Moraga has declared a state of emergency. This comes days after a huge sinkhole opened up in town, causing a massive gas outage.

A local state of emergency in Moraga, means the town might be able to recoup some costs so the sinkhole doesn't become a money pit.

"I will be sending a letter to the governor asking for the governor to declare it a state of emergency, which would then make us available for some state funds," said Bob Priebe the interim town manager.

The town council has also waived the bid process for the repair work.

"We need the ability to make that happen without going through the normal process, it's too lengthy," Priebe said.

Time is of the essence, but there's no way to know when the intersection of Rheem and Center will be back to normal.

"We're still investigating to see how the road bed might have been eroded underneath, so it's really not safe to have traffic in there yet," said Moraga Police Department Jon King.

The sinkhole opened up Sunday following heavy rain. It severed a PG&E gas line affecting 2,500 customers and swallowed a traffic light.

Now, the hole is fenced off and drivers are forced to take detours through parking lots.

"All the businesses here, I wasn't even sure the parking lot was open," said one resident.

Most people seem to be taking it in stride.

"It's manageable it's not that big of a crisis," said another resident.

Moraga police are asking everyone to drive slowly and safely in the area.