South Sprigg to reopen Monday, but sinkhole problem remains

A newly repaired stretch of South Sprigg Street will reopen to traffic Monday, almost a year to the day after Cape Girardeau officials indefinitely closed the section of roadway that collapsed late last April.

But the culprit that caused the concrete to crumble remains -- the city's complicated and costly sinkhole problem.

While private engineers, city officials and the predominant business in the area -- cement manufacturer Buzzi Unicem -- are hopeful that a permanent fix can be found, they all acknowledged Thursday that finding the funds to pay for one has been slow going.

"There really isn't a simple solution," said Mayor Harry Rediger. "We're just keeping the lines of communication open with the federal agencies to keep the conversation going. But nothing firm has developed at all. At this point, with us not making much progress, we decided it was time to get on with it and get the road open."

The sinkholes have plagued the South Sprigg Street area since 2007, when the first few were noticed south of the city's wastewater treatment plant. But with last year's flooding, the number grew from 15 to 33 in two months last spring and now tops 40, said city public works director Tim Gramling. That included two in Sprigg Street driving lanes near a bridge over Cape La Croix Creek, prompting the city to close the street there April 29.

A truck turns off South Sprigg Street onto Petroleum Road toward the Cape Girardeau waste transfer station Thursday, April 26, 2012. South Sprigg Street further south is still closed. (Fred Lynch)

City road crews poured the last section of the street this week, and the road is expected to open Monday, which is one day over a year since it closed. Several broken slabs of concrete were removed and replaced, he said. With the road closed, Buzzi had been using large equipment on the roadway, Gramling said, and the city had to go back in and regrade sections and rebuild roadway shoulders.

The project took a year, stalled as the city tried to find a solution to the problem so it wouldn't have to go back in every time it floods to repair the road. If a sinkhole causes road damage again, Gramling said, they'll just have to repeat the process.

"If we get a sinkhole now, we'll just have to go in and add asphalt on top of it," he said. "For now, it's just something we have to deal with."

Gramling was unable to provide a cost estimate Thursday on the repair project.

But some people are working toward finding a solution. Koehler Engineering of Cape Girardeau is working on a cost-benefit analysis to present to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in August in hopes of getting federal funds. The Delta Regional Authority has allocated $100,000 to the problem.

But a fix looks to be costly. A report prepared by Koehler last year presented two options. One calls for lining less than a mile of creek near the Mississippi River with permeable clay and then topping it with concrete, which would cost about $6 million. The second, and more costly, option would require relocating a portion of Cape La Croix Creek farther north, away from the 30 or so sinkholes that have been disastrous for nearby businesses and city infrastructure.

"To fix it with what you would call a long-term solution is a complicated, difficult project," said Chris Koehler, who owns Koehler Engineering. "We're trying to find a way to thread the needle. We want to find the right solution that we can also afford."

Koehler said he is working with Buzzi, the city and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and acknowledged the process is slow. Even if the money was available, Koehler said getting proper permits from various regulatory agencies would likely take a year. Buzzi and the city have agreed to contribute financially, Koehler said. But if FEMA gives some money, it would no doubt require a large match in local funds.

The sinkholes have caused problems in other ways, too. The sinkholes have jeopardized a city water main, an Ameren Missouri gas line and interrupted business at Buzzi Unicem. It also caused the city to look elsewhere for a new wastewater treatment plant away from the sinkholes.

While the problem remains, that the street is reopening was good news to Buzzi plant manager Steve Leus. Suppliers coming from the north have to drive a longer distance to bypass the closed road and that adds to the fuel surcharge. Also, employees that live in Illinois are inconvenienced by having to drive the long way around.

Leus said that he hopes floodwaters stay away for awhile, giving all the parties time to find a solution.

"We're just hoping that mother nature kind of gives us some time," he said.

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

South Sprigg Street, Cape Girardeau, MO