West 7th Street in St. Paul reopens following sinkhole repair

Sewers damaged in St. Paul from a sinkhole earlier this summer have been repaired, allowing West 7th Street to reopen to regular traffic.

Four months ago, on May 8, a “void” was created due to what the city attributed to several factors, causing soil to be gradually eroded over a 30-foot deep sewer tunnel.

This caused the road to collapse onto the tunnel, causing damage to it.

The city closed traffic from Kellogg Boulevard to Grand Avenue while they worked to make repairs. The city stated that workers had to remove debris, reinforce the lining in the 1879-built sewer tunnel, and repair the roadway above it.

“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 St. 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.”

SEE RELATED: Sinkhole in St. Paul closes West 7th Street from Kellogg Boulevard to Grand Avenue

Businesses in the nearby area had expressed concern that the closure would impact their locations, as customers would have difficulty reaching them, even with a single lane open to traffic in the area.

Those fears can now be lessened with the repair work now completed.
The post West 7th Street in St. Paul reopens following sinkhole repair first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.