Lafayette Sinkhole Repairs in Race Against Next Storms

By: Brian Shields - Tue, 04 Dec 2012 02:51:51 -0800
LAFAYETTE (KRON) -- Public works crews in Lafayette are trying to make fixes in a massive sinkhole on Mountain View Drive before the next storms arrive in the region.

The road began to collapse Sunday after heavy rains destabilized the soil in the area.  By Monday the sinkhole that had opened up stretched to 80 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 18 feet deep.

Engineers are trying to figure out the best way to make repairs before the next heavy storm expected late Tuesday or during the day Wednesday.

"Water is the enemy when it comes to soil," Lafayette Public Works Engineer David Terhune tells KRON 4's Terisa Estacio.  "So if we were to have it come in like this with it fully exposed, it would be catastrophic.  We're trying to get down to our stom drain to make sure we can reassess and get it working for Wednesday.  If not we're going to have to do some temporary control measures to get ready for the next big storm event."

Officials are also trying to determine if it makes sense to build a temporary culvert or to put the effort into completely replacing the water carrying pipe structure immediately.  Authorities say the repairs could cost more than $100,000.

Stay tuned to KRON 4 and KRON4.com for the latest on this developing story.

(Copyright 2012, KRON 4, All rights reserved.)
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