So we have a leaking mains water pipe under our road
I know this because the road is “leaking” 
Wondering how long it will take for the road to liquify and collapse
Set up a camera and hit record!
Edit: and also stay the fuck away from it.
Sage words
That’s interesting, I’ve never seen that before. Have you reported it? Are you in an area that reaches freezing temps in the winter?
It seems like that’s something they’d want to take care of soon.
I live in an area with lots of limestone in the bedrock and they seem to spring up overnite around here.
So it could be ground water and not a broken pipe?
That can be explained - as a geologist………
Leaky pipes I think is a bit more of a crap shoot
yes, if you live near areas of limestone, which is prone to having pockets of erosion, sort of like a collapsed cave. disclaimer- not a geologist.
Is it not the case that the sinkhole is developing slowly and then you only notice it when it collapses.?
It makes me wonder about many cities which lose a lot water because of old pipes slowly leaking (sometimes not so slowly). Are things slowly collapsing?
Sinkholes are fairly common in North Toronto area It looks like few hours to a day with a watermain break and you have a big sinkhole
They also have quite unstable ground in places and occasional somebody builds something and it later starts tilting
I understand about sinkholes, but the OP had water springing out of the ground. The few sinkhole stories I’ve heard didn’t include that.
It’s not a limestone sink hole but I full expect the ground to collapse as a result of mains water leaking sufficiently that it’s now coming out at the surface
As with all things in life, it depends. The soil has to go somewhere for a sink hole to form. If you are on a predominately sand/cobbles with plenty of perk for the water to flow away, it will take some time for the hole to form. If you have a soluble rock (talc, chalk, limestone gypsum) or dirt substrate like clay, it won’t take very long.
If water is pushing through the road deck, it is following the path of least resistance, and that means there is still some solid substrate for the water to contend with.
We have areas that when we get wet weather you can see water pushing through the seams in the road deck. That is caused by water laden soils becoming pressurized with water, they aren’t inherently prone to a sink hole because of the under lying soil composition.
Short answer, not enough information provided
Long answer, maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe in a month. Give it a daily jump test and report back.
Thanks, that made me laugh.
I have enjoyed the discussion. This really is a learning place 