A sinkhole in Allied Gardens opened up because of a damaged storm drain that has been on the city’s “repair list” since at least last July.
The sinkhole is located near the intersection of Princess View and Fontaine.
From the street, the hole appears relatively small, but one city worker estimated the underground damage to cover a 25 by 7 foot area. The hole is about four feet deep.
“We have had structural problems with a storm drain in the area,” said Bill Harris with the city’s Transportation and Storm Water Department.
The problem is finding the resources and time to repair the drain.
“It’s on a long list of repair projects around town,” said Harris.
Right now, the sinkhole is not causing any imminent threat to life or safety, so Harris says the plan is to back fill the sinkhole and patch it, not repair it. There is no timetable for the repair work, according to Harris.
Local
That news is not exactly comforting to residents, who say a similar sinkhole opened up just a few hundred yards away last September.
Barbara Farkas and her husband said were awoken around 8:30 a.m. Monday morning by police officers that responded to a driver compliant.
“It’s just overwhelming,” said Farkas. “I’ve never seen anything like this and I’m glad I didn’t back my car into it.”
The sinkhole is located right in front of her driveway.
