SAN DIEGO — A traffic detour is in place on Escala Drive in Rancho Bernardo, after a sinkhole opened up on the southbound side of the road.

Both sides of the road were closed from Fernando Way to Chretien Court late on Friday, according to city officials in a release.

The three-by-four-foot sinkhole that prompted the closure was caused by a broken 18-inch storm pipe under the road that carries runoff from the neighborhood above to an outfall in a lower canyon, officials said.

Failure of the pipe led to erosion of the ground under Escala Drive, according to the city.

It is unclear how much of an impact this year’s winter storms had on the deterioration of the pipeline. 

After a preliminary assessment of the damage, city officials say the closure for work on the pipe and the roadway shall remain in place into next week at the earliest — depending on the timeline for the emergency repairs.

Detour signs are in place routing traffic around the closure.