A large pavement collapse on Third Street that has dropped the travel lanes from three to two for the past several days will soon be fixed.
Columbus Utilities director Scott Dompke said the city has hired a Winchester contracting company to fix the collapsed brick manhole dating back to the early 1900s that caused the pavement to crumble and sink, with repairs expected to be completed by Friday.
However, Culy Contracting may have to take another lane from Third Street to complete the repairs, which means motorists could be limited to one lane westbound on the street while repairs are made, Dompke said at a Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on Tuesday. California Street will be closed at the intersection with Third Street.
The sinking pavement at Third and California streets was reported Friday, Dompke said. City crews used cones and an arrow sign to direct traffic around the area of the sinkhole, which is in the far left lane just after traffic curves west to head into the downtown area.
The brick manhole, buried under pavement, has collapsed and caused the pavement to cave in, with the hole reaching 12 feet deep, Dompke said. Repairs will cost about $75,000, which is coming out of the city utilities budget for emergency repairs.
When Mayor Jim Lienhoop asked if there would be any more service interruptions in the area of the sinkhole, Dompke said, “No, unless something else breaks,” which caused board members to chuckle at his deadpan response.
Dompke said the failing infrastructure appears to be part of Columbus’ original sewer system, with the tipoff being that the manhole is made of brick.
In other utility-related business, Columbus Redevelopment Director Heather Pope told board members that the department was delaying its timeline for opening bids for the State Street 2B project for a week to allow extra time to finalize some needed utility upgrades for the project.
The city has discovered the area has a 4-inch water main that dates back to the 1920s in the project area, and now wants to upgrade it to a 6-inch new water main during the project rather than have to tear up improvements sometime in the future if it would fail, Pope said.
The Columbus City Council has approved a resolution to fund Phase 2B of the project, developing the north side of Third Street from Central Avenue to California Street and then going north on California Street to Fifth Street. The cost is estimated at $1.745 million.
The project will provide a pedestrian connection from the east side of the city to downtown Columbus, Pope said.
A 10-foot-wide multi-use trail will be added at the back of the Third Street curb, in addition to pedestrian lighting, a 2-foot-wide brick shy zone similar to what is already on State Street and a brick gateway node at Third Street and California Avenue, Pope said.
Bids for the next phase of State Street improvements will now be scheduled to be opened Tuesday, Pope said.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Traffic alert” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Repairs to sunken pavement at Third and California streets in downtown Columbus, which is one-way westbound, are underway. Traffic may be reduced to one lane in the area during repairs and motorists are advised to find another route to avoid delays.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
