Melbourne's A$26 billion North East Link project halted after sinkhole opens, residents feeling unsafe
The authorities have warned the public to stay away from the area around the sinkhole, amid fears that it could expand.
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Tunnelling works on Melbourne's A$26 billion (S$22.3 billion) North East Link project have been halted after a sinkhole opened up at a park and sports field in the suburb of Heidelberg, rattling residents as the authorities warned that the sinkhole "may continue to grow".
Transport officials said that there were no injuries or property damage.
Victoria's Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams has confirmed that the construction of the tunnel for the North East Link is being considered as a possible cause of the sinkhole, although she said that there was no immediate risk to residents or their homes, Sky News Australia reported.
"The site has been secured and, of course, it's really important that we let that investigation take place so that we can know with certainty what's taken place to cause that." she said.
The sinkhole, around 8m wide and 5m deep, sits above the route of the North East Link, where two boring machines named Zelda and Gillian are working underground on the infrastructure project.
The collapse was discovered on Monday (Jan 5) afternoon at the AJ Burkitt Oval in the city's northeast. The oval is home to the Banyule Football Club and Banyule Cricket Club and is frequently used by dog walkers, the Herald Sun reported.
The area around the sinkhole has been cordoned off and tunnelling has been paused, while investigations by the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority (VIDA) continue.
Victoria's emergency service has issued a warning to the public to stay away from the sinkhole due to concerns that it could expand.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, residents Emilia and Sheldon Williams said that they felt unsafe.
"With this sinkhole appearing, I mean, I think everyone now is very nervous, wondering if their home is safe.
"This oval is used quite a lot during the evenings, with dog walkers, especially at night ... we're just lucky that nobody got injured and got swallowed up by this sinkhole."
Banyule City Council said on social media that Spark, the construction company managing the North East Link, has taken over the site to conduct assessments and manage safety.
VIDA's chief executive Duncan Elliott was quoted in The Guardian as saying that the two tunnel boring machines working just metres from the oval were likely a contributing factor to the sinkhole, although he added that they may not have directly caused it.
"We're taking a very cautious approach. We understand this has affected the community and local sporting clubs," he added.
This is not the first time that ground instability has disrupted construction for the project. Early last year, an 18m-deep sinkhole formed near its worksite at Lower Plenty, another suburb in Melbourne.
Opposition leader Jess Wilson has called on Premier Jacinta Allan to provide assurances to residents and questioned what the North East Link company knew about the risks in the area.
Once completed, the North East Link is expected to cut travel times by up to 35 minutes and remove around 15,000 trucks from local roads daily, improving traffic flow across Melbourne's northeast.
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