Large sinkhole caused by water main break closes street in Johnson County city

A water main break under Knox Street in Merriam caused a sinkhole that closed the roadway Friday.

In a social media post Friday morning , the Johnson County city of Merriam said a large sinkhole had opened up in the middle of Knox Street just north of Johnson Drive. A video showed water surging out of a line several feet down in a sinkhole. No injuries were reported.

Knox Street was closed between Johnson Drive and Hocker Drive, and the city asked people to avoid the area until further notice.

Jenna Grant, a spokesperson for the city, said WaterOne, the water utility serving Johnson County, had repaired the water main and placed barricades and a steel plate over the sinkhole.

The road will be closed to through traffic over the weekend while a plan is developed to repair the road, Grant said. It’s not yet known how long repairs will take.

The Star’s HG Biggs contributed reporting to this story.