TERRE HAUTE — Stormwater over a period of many years is thought to have caused a large and deep sinkhole that closed several lanes of traffic on U.S. 41 in Terre Haute this month. B & T Draining and Excavating, under the direction of the Terre Haute Department of Engineering, completed concrete work Tuesday morning to patch the highway. State officials said traffic restrictions on the Third Street overpass near Indiana State University would be lifted by Friday. “We’re giving [the concrete patch] time to cure,” said Debbie Calder, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Department of Transportation, which placed the barricades on the highway after the sinkhole was discovered. INDOT officials expected the barricades, which currently have U.S. 41 reduced to just two lanes at the overpass, to be removed today or Thursday, she said. City Engineer Chuck Ennis said it is possible stormwater draining into cracks at the base of the overpass over several years may have allowed earth beneath the roadway to wash away. The sinkhole was discovered by INDOT workers as they were attempting to fill some of those cracks, said Brad Utz, director of inspection for the Department of Engineering. However, it’s difficult to say for certain what caused the sinkhole, city officials said. The sinkhole was about 10 feet deep, Utz said. It was also nearly as large in diameter as coverings placed over the concrete patch. Those coverings measured about 30 feet by 20 feet. “It was a pretty big hole,” Utz said. The repair work, which included filling the hole with concrete and flowable fill, was successful and, once INDOT removes the barricades, the roadway will be safe for travel, Utz said. At one point, INDOT officials believed an old brick sewer running under the highway had collapsed, causing the sinkhole to develop. However, an inspection of the sewer and excavating at the site showed that was not the case, Utz said. “We dug down to the brick sewer that runs underneath there,” Utz said. “We exposed the sewer and didn’t see any issues with that.” Officials from the Department of Engineering and the city’s Wastewater Treatment facility also walked inside the old sewer and found no problems, Utz noted. When it was believed the sewer had collapsed, the city accepted the cost and responsibility of fixing the hole. However, now that the sewer has been shown to be intact, “there will be discussions” between the City of Terre Haute and INDOT over sharing repair costs, Ennis said. “INDOT incurred some expenses in this as well,” Ennis noted. Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@ tribstar.com.
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Related Photos
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Patched: Tarps cover the curing concrete patch in the north-bound lanes of Third street at the overpass north of Chestnut street near the Indiana State University campus. State officials said the roadway will reopen by Friday.
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