A sinkhole that opened up early Saturday morning blocked North Main Street in both directions for the day.

According to a city press release, the sinkhole was reported to emergency communications early Saturday. It happened in the 300 block of North Main Street, at the intersection with Prentis Street and near a railroad crossing.

Personnel from Suffolk Public Works and Public Utilities, as well as CSX, were on scene working Saturday. Preliminary inspection found that a utilities casing pipe under the railroad track was involved, and there may be some temporary water service disruptions in the area while the water main is evaluated, according to the release.

It was not immediately clear how long the work or the road closure would last. Northbound traffic on North Main Street was being detoured onto Finney Avenue, and southbound traffic was being detoured onto Prentis Street.

Train traffic continued to proceed through the crossing at a reduced speed throughout the day.

“We did dispatch a track inspector immediately to the area when we received the report around 5:45 this morning,” Kristin Seay of CSX corporate communications said on Saturday afternoon.

The inspector determined the track was safe for trains to cross, Seay said.

“We’re operating at reduced speeds for the safety of nearby workers,” she added.