Workers fill hole on Broadway

Traffic along Broadway at 11th Street was pushed into two lanes Tuesday, and drivers were treated to an unusual sight — a large hole sitting in the middle of Broadway.
The cause for the hole was two-fold — workers with Sprouls Construction were laboring to put in a new storm sewer for Phase II of the Downtown Streetscape project, while at the same time addressing a water issue that Doug Sprouls said could have been caused by an underground mine shaft.
"Everything has been filling with a lot of water through there," Sprouls said. "We're trying to put down a base to trap the water out. That makes for tough compaction and makes your soils less stable."
That's why workers were filling the hole with concrete Thursday afternoon, packing the substance down into the gap. Sprouls said the work wasn't easy — the crew must dodge water lines, a gas line and an old gas line, along with other utilities that are under the street.
"We have to make sure that we're watching where we cut," Sprouls said.
John Van Gorden, interim Pittsburg City Manager, said the work was planned as part of Phase II, putting in a storm sewer to pick up the inlet on the west side before going to Eighth Street.
"The street could be torn up for the next couple of weeks or so," Van Gorden said. "But they've pretty much got everything under control."
Then workers will come over the top and repair the curb and guttering, while asphalting over the street.
"We really haven't had too much like this, except where we've found some old manholes and things like that," Sprouls said. "It has slowed up our progress a little bit, but hopefully we'll be through this soon and we'll start picking up some speed."
Phase II of the Downtown Streetscape project spans Broadway from Eighth Street to 11th Street. The project is scheduled for substantial completion before the winter. The ensuing street milling and overlay project will likely start in the spring.