BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Kids near the Tuscany homes development in Northeast Bakersfield are going to have to find a new playground because street crews are sealing up the nearby storm drain system that neighborhood kids call the "tunnels" or "caves."

City crews spent some of Tuesday afternoon nailing manholes shut and covering them with dirt to close off an abandoned storm drain system near the development. The city took over the responsibility after the original developer of the land abandoned the task.

Last month, a man witnessed two boys disappear down one of the manholes, prompting a major search. The boys were never found and were assumed to have left safely.

The storm drains are more than half a mile long and are 25 feet deep. City street crews said although there are no real dangers inside the system, they are not taking any chances.

"It's important to make sure that things are secure so nobody gets in or hurt because if someone fell, they'd get hurt pretty bad," said City Assistant Street Superintendent Michael Connor.

Screen grates are also being made to cover the entrances. Connor said once the development is built, the street will widen and the manhole will become part of the road or sidewalk.