GREENKILL RUPTURE
Hole opens up after sewer pipe breaks; to take at least two months to repair, city says
KINGSTON, N.Y. » A sewer pipe rupture on Greenkill Avenue is likely to take at least two months to permanently repair, a city official said Monday.
City Engineer Ralph Swenson said that a hole opened up on Friday after the clay tiled sewer pipe broke. The pipe is located about 15 to 20 feet below the surface of Greenkill Avenue.
Swenson said the 15-inch wide pipe was probably installed between 1920 and 1950.
Swenson said the city is trying to determine what caused the pipe to collapse and where the rupture took place.
It happened on Greenkill Avenue somewhere between Prospect and Sterling Streets. That 300-foot section of Greenkill Avenue has been closed to traffic, Swenson said.
The city will monitor the service situation to determine if there are any customer service interruptions.
If there is, Swenson said, the city maybe forced to rent equipment used as a by-pass system, a usual procedure done when sewer pipes collapse in the city.
There is no estimate yet on just how much it will cost to make a permanent repair, Swenson said.
But before that can be done, the Common Council and Mayor
Steve Noble will need to sign off on borrowing for the repairs and by-pass equipment.
The next Finance and Audit Committee meeting is not scheduled until September. Also, Swenson said, a design plan will need to be drawn up by consultants for the Greenkill sewer pipe fix.
The hole caused by the rupture was filled in by Department of Public works crews, Swenson said. A metal plate has been placed on top.