A sinkhole developed in the northwest quadrant of the Church and State Street intersection on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 20, 2013. The collapsed pavement area was about three feet in diameter and about half a foot deep. The sinkhole was blocked off, restricting traffic to one lane southbound on State Street and one lane westbound on Church Street. Eastbound Church Street traffic has not been affected.
The City’s contractor started excavating the area of the sinkhole on Wednesday morning. The underground cavity extent was much larger than the area of the pavement collapse, extending towards the northwest around a storm sewer manhole. The sinkhole’s cause appears to be a failed storm sewer. Known required repairs as of Wednesday afternoon are the storm sewer from the storm sewer manhole to the inlet on the northwest corner, filling the excavation, and pavement restoration. However, additional repair needs may become evident as the work progresses. This intersection is in an older section of town and has other underground utilities and abandoned pipes that slow underground excavation, assessment and repair.