OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — It has officially been one year since the sinkhole on 16th Street between Farnam and Harney opened.
It continues to block off the sidewalk, and at points over the last year, even blocked all of 16th Street at times.
- It opened on January 2, 2025, when a garbage truck fell into.
- In the year since, we have seen a back and forth between the city and the Regis building.
- A claim was filed against the city, 16th Street hosted a 'sinkhole party,' and this past fall, the announcement came that repairs would be made. Repairs that the city said it hoped would have been complete by the end of 2025.
So where do the repairs stand? Reporter Molly Hudson sat down with Mayor Ewing in an exclusive interview to discuss why repairs still aren't complete.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"We are celebrating our anniversary of one year, and we are not really celebrating, we are going like ...," said Tom Lamme, a Regis resident.
This was the scene on January 2, 2025.
A garbage truck fell into the sinkhole, opening up a year-long controversy.
The city and the Regis building owners each pointing fingers about what created the void and who's responsible for repairs.
In a one-on-one interview, Mayor John Ewing shed light on why this hole still isn't totally repaired.
"I am a little disappointed at the pace in which we have been able to move, but we also have to make sure we get it right," Ewing said.
Much of the alley has been repaved. All the utility work is done, but now they are giving the Regis building time to waterproof and repair the building.
Molly: "You mentioned that the building needs to make their repairs so this doesn't happen again. Is it correct to say then that the issues with the building caused this sinkhole?"
Ewing: "That's my understanding is that dirt was able to seep into the building and that is what then led to the sinkhole, ultimately."
"No, it is not true, we did not cause this, I think Omaha caused this a very long time ago," Lamme said. "He knows that our building is not at fault," said Lisa Kilker, a Regis condo owner.
Early last year, I got an exclusive tour of the damage in the Regis building's sub-basement, where neighbors showed me the mud that plagues the century-old building. I'm told they've spent hundreds of thousands on repairs.
They've filed a claim with the city.
"We are struggling to get our work done because they did not do as much as we thought they were going to do, so we are looking for an excavator," Kilker said. "We are on track, and hopefully in 2026 it will be the year that we don't have a sinkhole anymore, which is great."
Mayor Ewing says once the building repairs are complete, the city's work to fill the sinkhole will only take a few days.
But it's still unclear exactly when that could happen.
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