The City posted the following notice Friday afternoon:
On the Morning of Thursday, April 18th, a small sink hole was reported at the intersection of Hampton Rd. and LaSalle Ave. The City barricaded the area and started investigating the cause of the sinkhole.
Crews determined that a twelve inch storm sewer pipe, running from a catch basin to the storm drain main in the middle of the street, made of corrugated metal, had rusted out. The deterioration of this pipe allowed water to flow beneath the pavement and undermine the roadway.
The intersection of Hampton Rd. and La Salle Ave. has many underground utilities, including electric, gas, water, telephone, cable, storm sewer, and sanitary sewer. We worked with our utility partners to locate and mark the location of their underground facilities.
Beginning Friday morning, City contracted crews began excavating the site. Due to the number of utilities in the area, a great deal of hand excavation was required. The deteriorated pipe, which is approximately fifty years old, was fully excavated and replaced with plastic pipe, which is the standard today.
Though the City is 80% complete in modernizing its sanitary sewer system, this incident shows the next underground challenge which will be faced upon completion of that project. The condition of this pipe is indicative of the work the City will need to undertake with its storm sewer system.
Steel plates will be placed over the section to accommodate weekend traffic. Work will continue into the week of April 22nd. Traffic should be able to flow through the intersection around the work, but residents traveling through the area are asked to proceed with caution and exercise care.
Residents with questions can call the Public Works Department at (510) 420-3050 during normal business hours.
Contact: John O. Tulloch, (510) 420-3040 | Photos courtesy of the City of Piedmont
To misquote, let’s not make a mountain out of a sinkhole here. Replacing one-0ff rusted galvanized pipe sections may be necessary, but a systematic replacement of cast-iron storm sewer mainlines throughout the city with plastic pipe could be a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars. The current sewer tax brings in $2.5 M and residents deserve a more informed analysis of the city’s storm water system before staff initiates a city-wide storm water replacement program.
Under a consent decree, the city must divert water from its storm sewer system. Ironically had the city done this with the Hampton Field renovation project, this sinkhole may not have occurred.