Four months after a sinkhole on West Seventh Street near downtown St. Paul shut down the busy thoroughfare, challenging repairs are completed and the road has reopened, city officials said.
Several contractors worked to repair damage to the 30-foot deep sewer tunnel and the surrounding utilities after the sinkhole appeared on May 8. The busy street was closed to through traffic from Kellogg Boulevard to Grand Avenue. The city was able to maintain one lane of traffic on the block for access to businesses.
Officials said the sinkhole was caused by a number of factors that led to the soil above the tunnel to gradually erode, causing “surrounding soil and rock to collapse into the sewer tunnel. These factors included unique subsurface geology and movement of water and sewage leaking above the main tunnel.”
“This project has been a good example of public-private partnerships, where city departments, local businesses, and several contractors quickly came together to keep the area safe and repair aging infrastructure,” said Sean Kershaw, director of Saint Paul Public Works. “We greatly appreciate the regular communication, patience, and partnership of the surrounding businesses as we worked together to try to minimize impacts wherever possible.”
Although the street is open to traffic, additional repairs will take place in advance of a state project slated for 2028-2029.
Find out more at: dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/w7thst-stpaul/index.html
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