Several sinkholes have opened up around Lansdale Borough – specifically at Ridge and Oak streets off of East Main Street – and Dan Sokil of The Reporter reported that borough council, administration, and public works are putting forth ongoing efforts to fix the problems.
Lansdale Borough Councilman BJ Breish said at a recent council meeting that the Ridge and Oak sinkhole was an emergency repair. The issue cannot be resolved in-house, as 200 feet of deteriorated storm sewer pipe is located too deep and outside third-party professionals must be hired to repair the pipe at around $113,000.
Infrastructure has been a major focus of Lansdale Borough staff lately, according to The Reporter: Pothole repair took over much of the spring and summer, along with repaving and resurfacing of numerous local roads. Then, there are the necessary stormwater inlet updates that add to the cost.
Council is looking at the possibility of allocating some of the $1.4 million in federal COVID relief funds it has available toward $1.7 million in necessary infrastructure and storm sewer repairs needed in the borough.
Borough Manager John Ernst said the sinkholes are not at the point of swallowing a car parked on a street. Most are adjacent to stormwater inlets and are about the size of a softball or basketball, he said at the meeting. Ernst said heavy rains are highlighting the stormwater inlet issues: In the case of Ridge and Oak, water was rushing into the sinkhole instead of the inlet.
Read more on the sinkhole issues and residents’ concerns here.
See also:
Adult Mosquito Spraying in Selected Areas of Lansdale Borough Planned
Lansdale Approves Contract to Pave Freight House Parking Lot
Early-A.M. Skateboarding OK'd By Lansdale Parks & Rec Committee
