A third sinkhole on Farmington Avenue has formed, and West Hartford’s Department of Public Works and the MDC are working together to determine the underlying cause.

A third sinkhole opened up on Thursday, May 28, 2015, at the intersection of Farmington Avenue and LaSalle Road in West Hartford Center. Photo credti: Ronni Newton

By Ronni Newton

The intersection of Farmington Avenue and LaSalle Road in West Hartford Center was once again ringed by orange cones Thursday morning as representatives from West Hartford’s Department of Public Works and the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) made temporary repairs to a new sinkhole. Both organizations are working to determine the root cause of sinkholes that continue to plague the area.

“We’re still exploring, trying to find the underlying conditions to pinpoint before we excavate,” Public Works Director John Phillips said Thursday morning.

Phillips said that when a sinkhole opened up Thursday morning – the third sinkhole in the immediate area in the past several months – it hastened the need for immediate attention.

“The underground utilities in the area come together like a bowl of spaghetti,” Phillips said. Mains for clean water, sanitary sewage, and storm sewage all converge in the same location, he said.

Depending on what they find, repairs could be the responsibility of Public Works, the MDC, or both, Phillips said. Crews have been using cameras to try to determine the root of the problem without digging up the entire area, but so far have not found it.

“Something is going on in the cavity,” said Phillips. He said that 1,000 gallons of water was put into the ground Thursday morning for a dye test. “We have no idea where it went. Our pipes were dry,” Phillips said.

“We’re reaching the point where we will have to excavate for an exploratory dig,” said Phillips. Once the problem is found, the repair likely won’t be difficult he said, but tearing up the road and having to repair it could be an expensive and disruptive project.

Although the MDC had originally scheduled repair work to begin in June, Phillips said the need may be more immediate now that a third sinkhole has formed in the area.

One lane was getting by in each direction on Thursday, and Phillips said he anticipated that the rest of the road would be open later in the afternoon.

The first sinkhole appeared on Nov. 25, 2014, and was discovered by a police officer on patrol. The problem was more than just a hole, however, as a 50-foot-long area of LaSalle Road showed signs of settling, Town Engineer Duane Martin said at the time. Temporary repairs were done in November, with the plan for additional work to be completed in the spring.

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