Post by L Roebuck on Sept 13, 2005 9:17:44 GMT -5
Locust Street sinkhole eats car
By Peter Ciancone/Tribune-Star
A hole 15 feet deep sprung open on Locust Street in Terre Haute on Wednesday midafternoon, snagging one motorist's car.
No one was injured as workers closed the street for repairs.
The car traveling near 14th 1/2 and Locust streets fell grill-first into the hole, which measured about 10 feet long by 15 feet wide and 15 feet deep.
The maroon sedan came to rest just a couple of feet below the surface of the former street - its back end stuck in the air like a rooster tail - on two abandoned gas mains that were the only two things not to give way when the road surface collapsed.
Police received the call about the mishap just after 2:30 p.m.
Police officers working at the intersection said a school bus passed the spot moments earlier. The bus driver reported feeling a bump as she passed over the surface.
A gas leak also was reported at the scene. Troy Swan of the City Engineer's office said it was shut off quickly.
A wrecker pulled the car from the hole as workers began gathering the equipment necessary to make the repairs.
Swan said the sink hole formed after the sides of an old brick manhole structure gave way, allowing dirt underneath the surface of Locust Street to be sucked into the 60-inch sewer pipe below.
Standing over the gaping opening in the street, with a strong smell of sewage in the air, Swan said, "The pavement supported itself for a couple weeks at least."
The hole gave a glimpse into old Terre Haute. A couple of old railroad cross ties were visible, along with several layers of brick and asphalt surface of the road.
Swan said the city would continue to inspect the city's oldest systems, looking to avoid mishaps such as what happened Wednesday. In the meantime, Locust Street will be closed until Sept. 21 for repairs. Swan said funds for the repairs would come from Wastewater Treatment user fees. He estimated the repairs would cost between $35,000 and $40,000.
Peter Ciancone can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or pete.ciancone@tribstar.com
www.tribstar.com/articles/2005/09/08/news/local_and_bistate/lb01.txt
By Peter Ciancone/Tribune-Star
A hole 15 feet deep sprung open on Locust Street in Terre Haute on Wednesday midafternoon, snagging one motorist's car.
No one was injured as workers closed the street for repairs.
The car traveling near 14th 1/2 and Locust streets fell grill-first into the hole, which measured about 10 feet long by 15 feet wide and 15 feet deep.
The maroon sedan came to rest just a couple of feet below the surface of the former street - its back end stuck in the air like a rooster tail - on two abandoned gas mains that were the only two things not to give way when the road surface collapsed.
Police received the call about the mishap just after 2:30 p.m.
Police officers working at the intersection said a school bus passed the spot moments earlier. The bus driver reported feeling a bump as she passed over the surface.
A gas leak also was reported at the scene. Troy Swan of the City Engineer's office said it was shut off quickly.
A wrecker pulled the car from the hole as workers began gathering the equipment necessary to make the repairs.
Swan said the sink hole formed after the sides of an old brick manhole structure gave way, allowing dirt underneath the surface of Locust Street to be sucked into the 60-inch sewer pipe below.
Standing over the gaping opening in the street, with a strong smell of sewage in the air, Swan said, "The pavement supported itself for a couple weeks at least."
The hole gave a glimpse into old Terre Haute. A couple of old railroad cross ties were visible, along with several layers of brick and asphalt surface of the road.
Swan said the city would continue to inspect the city's oldest systems, looking to avoid mishaps such as what happened Wednesday. In the meantime, Locust Street will be closed until Sept. 21 for repairs. Swan said funds for the repairs would come from Wastewater Treatment user fees. He estimated the repairs would cost between $35,000 and $40,000.
Peter Ciancone can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or pete.ciancone@tribstar.com
www.tribstar.com/articles/2005/09/08/news/local_and_bistate/lb01.txt