Roads and sinkholes

The emergence of more than 20 sinkholes in South Cape has been somewhat disconcerting, causing the closing of part of South Sprigg Street to through traffic since January. Last week, the road was reopened, and the city deserves plaudits for carefully taking care of the problem.

Given the type of soil in the area, the proximity to the river and various weather conditions the past few years -- from significant drought to floodwater -- the appearance of sinkholes was not wholly surprising. The burning questions included how extensive the problem could become and how much it would cost to fix.

Last week, a contractor dealt with the most perplexing of the issues, which had potentially threatened a bridge over Cape LaCroix Creek, by drilling holes through concrete slabs that form the embankment of the creek and pumping a concrete grout into any voids.

"There's still some work to do in the creek," said public works director Tim Gramling, "but there were no large voids found." That's good news, which will help contain the cost of the fix.

Unplanned expenses were nevertheless incurred by both the city and private enterprises in the area, including Buzzi Unicem, AmerenUE and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, which has installed sensors on nearby tracks to issue alerts if the ground shifts.

Throughout the fix effort, cooperation between the entities was admirable. Buzzi provided rock at no charge to the city, which loaned some of its equipment in return.

"It was kind of a trade-off," Gramling said.

The reopening of the road will save money for the city, whose solid waste trucks travel the route to the city transfer station. After more than eight months, it's good to have the road open again.