Hi Stereojam,

Im browsing photos and came across yours. Im from NYC and i come across these "bad contractor fills" all the time. It looks like a private contractor or a city agency working on this utility, didn't properly back fill and apply hot asphalt. The key is to find the right person or agency responsible. If you want to try and get the wheels turning, i would look at the writing on the metal head that is in the ground. If its a water, gas, or some other utility, it should say so on it. Contact that Department and ask them if they have a open or closed work order at that location, and if they contract out minor repairs, and if so who did this one.
In NYC we track down who did the the work, summons the company and give them a time line to make repairs. Hope this helped -CivilServant :)