ATLANTA — Into Wednesday morning, crews are working to assess and repair a large hole that shut down several blocks of Ponce De Leon Avenue in midtown Atlanta earlier Tuesday, and swallowed an SUV.

It happened around 2 p.m. with a couple inside of the vehicle escaping unharmed.

The driver of the white SUV that got swallowed up by the hole told Channel 2 Action News off-camera that he was making a right-hand turn in front of Torched Hop Brewing Company when the road collapsed underneath.

The SUV was removed from the hole shortly before 5 p.m.

As night fell, road crews closed down three blocks of Ponce De Leon near the iconic Mary Mac’s Tea Room as heavy equipment moved in to begin the repair work. Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management said it was trying to determine the cause of the collapse, but a broken sewer line is suspected.

“They have excavated down. They’ve determined there is a sewer pipe that may have contributed to the hole, the sinkhole that formed. We are trying to determine whether it’s active or not,” said Atlanta Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Mikita Browning.

Browning could not predict how long it would take to repair pipes and other utilities and fill the hole.

Neighbors and businesses hope that happens sooner than later. Many restaurants and clubs would normally be busy Tuesday night had far fewer customers because of the lack of parking.

“You can see the crowd is not here. They got it blocked off so far out, customers can’t get here,” said restaurant lounge employee Nichee Woods.

Officials say the sinkhole has not impacted water or sewer service in the area.

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