NEW ORLEANS - People and business owners in the French Quarter are concerned about a sinkhole that only seems to be getting bigger. The crumbling concrete formed near the intersection of Royal and St. Philip.
There's a lot to look at in the Quarter, but over the last few days attention seems to be on Royal. Unfortunately, it's for all the wrong reasons.
"Well, you don't expect something like that in the middle of the street," said Carolyn Yoo from Houston.
"It's a lot like what happened on Canal Street a couple of years ago," said Greg Lier. "It's like you got a new tourist attraction - the sinkhole on Royal Street."
It's unclear when the road started caving in, but Lier says it formed fast. He says he was in the area a week ago and saw no issue. A few days later though, he received a call from his realtor who told him about the buckling road.
"There was a lot of rain on Thursday, so rain and broken asphalt do not mix," he said.
Now surrounded by orange cones and tape, the sinkhole, he says, poses a bigger problem. He fears with the amount of foot, motor and carriage traffic, it'll keep growing.
"Garbage trucks, delivery trucks, all kind of things," he said. "What happens if this gives way and it gets halfway across the street where traffic can't get by?"
"For pedestrians and for drivers I think it could become an issue, especially even for cyclists," said Alyson Gray, who manages Alchemy on Royal Street.
Like Lier, Gray worries about people's safety, but also the message it's sending visitors.
"The streets are what they are," she said. "But this is a high-end shopping area so for people who are here and spend money, it's not necessarily the best look."
"It looks like it could cave in at any time like further down and that's kind of scary," said Yoo.
As people take a closer look, some are ready for it to be fixed, before somebody they say gets hurt.
"Hopefully they'll get out here quickly," said Lier.
"It's kind of an eyesore and I hope it's something the city gets on," said Gray. "It's getting worse and worse by the day."
Eyewitness News reached out to the Sewerage and Water Board, but didn't get a response back by airtime. A Sewerage and Water Board crew happened to be working in the area and said work could start as soon as Tuesday. Something another business owner echoed.