Sinkhole opens at Bay and Gough, San Francisco urges caution

A small sinkhole opened at Bay and Gough streets Sunday afternoon, and San Francisco authorities told people to avoid the intersection as flooding concerns spread nearby. The break turned a familiar city corner into a caution zone, with crews and drivers forced to treat the pavement as unstable.

NBC Bay Area reported that the sinkhole appeared Sunday afternoon and that people were told to stay clear of Bay and Gough. Local news also flagged flooding concerns in the vicinity, adding urgency to a street failure that can quickly complicate traffic and block access in a dense neighborhood.

The incident fits a pattern San Francisco has seen before. In February 2025, a disruption at Lombard and Gough streets was initially described as a sinkhole, then later clarified by the San Francisco Fire Department and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission as connected potholes and temporary paving erosion.

That February failure was tied to construction on a backup water system. Temporary paving had been left in place while crews waited for a Caltrans permit to install permanent paving, a reminder that work under the street can leave a corridor vulnerable long after the excavation itself appears finished.

San Francisco has faced similar street failures during heavy rain, and the city’s Public Works and utility crews have been called in before to manage the fallout. The Bay and Gough opening now raises the same practical concern for nearby residents and drivers: a small break in the roadway can signal a deeper problem below the surface, one that may bring more closures, more patchwork repairs and more watchfulness for the next weak spot in the pavement.