The residents living close to a 15-foot-deep sinkhole where a Lafayette street used to be will likely be forced to deal with the problem until the spring, according to officials.

Utility crews were working through Monday night to repair damage caused by the massive sinkhole.

High water levels and a clogged storm drain in Lafayette Creek destroyed a portion of Mountain View Drive Sunday, creating a sinkhole where the road once was, Lafayette City Manager Steven Falk said.

Erosion of the road accelerated when the heavy current of the creek clogged the storm drain with large debris, including branches and a bureau, some time between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., Falk said.

Water began to run over the top of the road, forcing its closure soon after. At about 3 p.m., the road collapsed onto the storm drain and left a hole 80 feet long, 40 feet wide, and 15 feet deep, Falk said.

Utility agencies came out and shut off the gas and sewer lines that are below the road. East Bay Municipal Utilities District crews were still on scene Monday afternoon attempting to shut off the water line.

A handful of customers are still without water and one customer is without gas. PG&E has provided an alternate gas service for that one, according to Falk.

On Monday evening, instead of stars and crickets, Mountain View Drive was filled with generator lights, bull dozers and buzz saws.

KTVU spoke with area resident Joyce Liang as she surveyed the sinkhole outside her home.

"Tonight my name is s-a-d," said Liang. "Yes, it's very sad when your home get damaged. Very sad."

Liang is living on the edge of what could have been disaster.

"I just worry. Suppose the whole house dropped? I don't know what to do," said Liang.

The view from NewsChopper 2 showed the massive sinkhole across the entire span of the street.

The flooding flowed through nearby resident Linda Rosenthal's garage, across her lawn and down to where the sinkhole cuts her off from the main street.

Rosenthal will have to take a detour until the road is fixed. That's not expected until at least next spring.

"I can live with a block and a half detour for as long as it takes," said Rosenthal. "[I'm] grateful the city is on it and things are happening."

Utility crews were working through the night on temporary repairs. People living in the area dodged a bullet, but that doesn't mean Joyce Liang will sleep any better.

"How do you know it's safe?" asked Liang.

Falk said the city's plan is to convey the water temporarily across where the road was, and create a temporary storm drain that will handle all the water from whatever remaining storms there are this season.

Once that is completed, a team of civil engineers will create a plan to permanently fix the storm drain and road.