Scott Tadych, assistant engineer in the Public Works Department, said a collapsing sewer pipe caused the cavity. The pipe carried storm water and sanitary sewers in the area. The city is using a bypass pump to move fluids around the broken pipe section until repairs can be made, he said.
No homes should be directly impacted by the sinkhole, Tadych said.
This is the second sinkhole this spring because a pipe collapsed.
SK Construction has been working to replace the corrugated sewer pipe that corroded and caused a sinkhole near 6th Avenue in March. Tadych said the flooding and continual rain have slowed completion and may increase costs of the estimated $265,000 repair.
In both cases, Tadych said the pipes were 50 to 60 years old and were reaching their normal life span. Both are part of Middletown’s combined sewer system, which he said is older and represents about a quarter of the city’s total sewer system.
“There is a lot of old infrastructure in town. You are coming up on the normal life span of these pipes. But that doesn’t mean they’ll all need to be replaced right away,” Tadych said.
City Council will likely have to approve funding to make the repairs. Members will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in council chambers, One Donham Plaza.
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