Construction continues to fix Madera ‘sinkhole’

A section of road in Madera collapsed into a broken sewer pipe on April 11 – which many are referring to as a sinkhole – and it’s expected to take up to 10 days to fix, the city of Madera said.

The hole is in the middle of Schnoor Avenue between 4th and 5th streets.

Madera said a section of sewer pipe failed and forced the street that sat on top of it to break apart into it.

On ground level, there’s a hole 12 feet by 15 feet. Underneath, the void is about 15 feet by 50 feet, Madera said.

City Engineer Keith Helmuth directed that work be expanded to include the replacement of up to 200 feet of existing pipe south of the collapsed area to minimize the potential for similar problems in the foreseeable future.

During construction, the street will be closed to all but those who live on the affected street.

Construction efforts began April 12.

No injuries were reported, and no services were interrupted due to the collapse, Madera said.

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 11:29 PM with the headline "Construction continues to fix Madera ‘sinkhole’."