Massive sinkhole opens on 17th Street near White House

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Repair crews remain on the scene of a giant sinkhole in Northwest, D.C. after the massive opening materialized Tuesday evening in the middle of 17th Street near the White House.

The sinkhole caused major delays across downtown Tuesday and will continue to impact traffic into the Wednesday morning rush.

FOX 5's Melanie Alnwick said the sinkhole is 12-feet deep and has closed traffic on 17th Street between C Street and E Street. Alnwick said two large power lines that could be seen inside of the hole could potentially feed power to many of the buildings and monuments near the White House. A large sewer line also runs underground in the area of the sinkhole.

The cause of the sinkhole is not yet known.