The work underway on a sinkhole that appeared July 5 on Cumberland Road in McCandless, a route that fronts UPMC Passavant, has an anticipated completion date of July 23, weather permitting.
Oakdale-based Independent Enterprises has been contracted by UPMC to repair the aged pipe and the associated roadway reconstruction, according to McCandless Manager John Schwend.
“The repair should take approximately 10 days, is what we’re hoping, from the time they put shovels in the ground today, until we’re paved and reopened. That’s the timeline we’ve been advised of,” said Schwend during the council meeting July 13.
Local emergency crews barricaded the area the day the sinkhole occurred, with the help of the McCandless Police Department.
The sinkhole was caused by an underground stormwater drain that had eroded over time and gave way following heavy rainfall.
“That was a challenge on Sunday evening and continues to be for us. The manager had boots on the ground with me Sunday evening, and, you’re right, it could have been tragic,” said McCandless police Chief Ryan Hawk, in response to Councilman Joe Wall’s comment that no accidents or serious injuries occurred.
Wall also complimented Hawk and Schwend for the quick response and management of the situation.
The town has offered to help manage the project with its contracted Gateway engineers on-site. This helps ensure the road and related work are put back to the town’s standards, and it “gives us a little control of how the project runs,” Schwend said.
JetJack Inc. of Oakdale also is contracted to work on the project, according to discussions at the meeting.
McCandless reviewed development plans for Cumberland Road and the Passavant hospital campus dating to the 1960s, showing the failed stormwater infrastructure belonged to UPMC Passavant.
A 36-inch corrugated metal pipe was found to have failed underneath the road, Schwend said.
The pipe connects to a manhole on the road that has a few McCandless storm sewers that the town accepted in 2009, as well as a state-owned 21-inch pipe from Babcock Boulevard. The failed 36-inch pipe carries water from the hospital campus under the road and toward the pond in front of property recently acquired by La Roche University, Schwend said.
Aging pipes are a significant concern for municipalities. But as far as the corrugated metal piping, it is still in use by some municipalities but not in McCandless because of a longevity concern, according to Schwend.
Pipes made of high-density polyethylene, a type of plastic, or reinforced concrete are more durable, have longer lifespans and are primarily used today, he said.
“When McCandless repaves our roads, we always perform work the year before to repair and replace catch basins, and any metal pipe that still exists. We always replace it with concrete pipe,” he said.
Occasionally, a metal pipe is found in good condition and can be lined with an epoxy liner. This basically turns the metal pipe into a plastic pipe on the inside and can extend the life of the pipe by up to 50 years, Schwend said.
The corrugated metal pipe at the site was installed before 1964, Schwend said.
Marcia Caliendo, a McCandless resident, asked during the meeting whether the town was responsible for any of the cost.
That roadway there was dedicated to the town in 2009, Schwend said. At that time, the town accepted certain stormwater structures attached to an exhibit with that project. The pipe that failed has not been identified in that exhibit as something the town accepted. UPMC was been notified of this and agreed to begin the work, contracting with the third-party contractor directly, he said.
That is the status as of now, Schwend said.
McCandless officials will assist in the management of the project to ensure the roadway and related infrastructure are constructed to the town’s specifications.
The hope is that UPMC will be able to take over the pipe officially and will be McCandless infrastructure once it’s installed properly, Schwend said.
UPMC Passavant’s services remain fully operational and unaffected by the sinkhole.
All hospital entrances remain open and accessible to EMS, patients, visitors and staff, said Karen Beardsley, a spokesperson for UPMC. The only closure at this time is the one-way exit to Cumberland Road from the Blue/Yellow parking lot, she said.