Famous ‘rat hole’ in Chicago pavement removed and ‘preserved’ by city

A viral rat-shaped hole in the sidewalk of a Chicago neighborhood has been removed by city officials – who vow they will preserve it.

The ‘rat hole’ had attracted droves of tourists from around the world to Roscoe Village to see the formation for themselves.

Neighbors in Chicago’s North Side have said the hole with the outline of a rodent’s body including tail and claws has been there for two decades. But it became world-famous early this year when a local comedian shared an image of it on X (formerly Twitter).

The sheer amount of tourists swarming the area to take selfies and even get married next to the dent caused ‘absolute hell’ for some residents who even threatened to destroy it.

Neighbors have been complaining to Alderman Scott Waguespack’s office for several months.

‘It was just a combination of the fact that the sidewalk was uneven and also that people would show up at various times of the day and night and make a lot of noise and create other issues and problems,’ said Waguespack’s chief of staff, Paul Sajovec.

For better or worse, the rat hole has been removed from the sidewalk.

Crews with the Department of Transportation inspected and determined that the section of the sidewalk with the rathole on Roscoe Street was damaged and had to be removed, said agency spokesperson Erica Schroeder.

The crew did the job on Wednesday morning.

A neighbor, Georgina Ulrich, recorded the crews as they used a concrete saw and then a forklift to hoist the slab with the rat hole, and drove it away.

‘All this for a rat imprint,’ said Ulrich.

Crews poured new concrete the same day, forever replacing the famous slab.

For now, the rat hole has been placed in temporary storage. Where it will ultimately go, Schroeder said, will be a ‘collaborative decision between the city departments and the mayor’s office’.

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