Everett sinkhole repairs may tie up traffic
Published 9:08 pm Friday, May 21, 2010
EVERETT — Drivers who plan to travel around north Everett this weekend should prepare for possible slowdowns along Broadway.
A portion of the road near 13th Street will be reduced to one lane each direction Sunday, said Dongho Chang, a city traffic engineer. Crews are making an emergency repair to a busted sewer line.
City workers first noticed concrete on the street starting to sag near the intersection of Lombard Avenue and 13th. They’ve since shut down one block on 13th so crews could dig up a chunk of the road to see what’s going on.
They discovered the century-old sewage line had broken. The flowing sewage was eating away the surrounding soil, creating a void under the street.
Chang said they still aren’t sure how big the sinkhole is but they know a section of line that stretches the length of a football field needs to be replaced.
The problem should be fixed by Memorial Day, he said. The city already planned to replace other aging sewer lines along Lombard Avenue this summer.
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.
